Proceedings in the House of Representatives turned rowdy on Tuesday during an emergency plenary after lawmakers rejected a motion seeking to rescind an earlier decision on the passage of the Electoral Amendment Act.
The motion was moved by the Chairman of the House Committee on Rules and Business, Francis Waive, and seconded by the Chairman of the House Committee on Electoral Matters, Adebayo Balogun, urging the House to reverse its previous resolution.
The Speaker, Abbas Tajuddeen, put the motion to a voice vote, but the majority of lawmakers opposed it. The ruling sparked heated arguments, with members shouting across the chamber and creating a tense, disorderly atmosphere.
Attempts by the Speaker to restore calm initially proved unsuccessful.
As the unrest continued, the Speaker called for the House to move into an executive session, a closed-door meeting used to allow lawmakers to deliberate privately on sensitive matters.
The Electoral Amendment Act is regarded as a key instrument for strengthening Nigeria’s electoral framework ahead of future elections, but disagreements over its provisions have triggered intense debate within the legislature.
It was not immediately clear which specific clauses prompted the motion to rescind the earlier decision.
Nevertheless, the episode underscored divisions among lawmakers over the direction of electoral reforms and the challenges of building consensus in the House.
RN
