President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has said the National Assembly is considering amendments to aspects of the Electoral Act 2026 following recent political developments that affected serving federal lawmakers during party primaries.
Naijaonpoint reports that Akpabio said some provisions of the law had produced unintended consequences for legislators seeking re-election ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He made the disclosure on Tuesday during the opening of the 2026 National Assembly Open Week and the presentation of the 10th National Assembly’s Third-Year Legislative Scorecard in Abuja.
His comments came weeks after several senators and members of the House of Representatives lost their parties’ tickets during the primaries.
Akpabio acknowledged that the Electoral Act had improved the conduct of party primaries by reducing political violence in many parts of the country.
He, however, said lawmakers would revisit some provisions of the legislation to address challenges encountered during the recent nomination process.
Akpabio said, “From even the Electoral Act that we passed, you can see not so many people were killed, if any, in many of the states of the federation during these primaries.
“But we shall tinker with the Act again to make sure that we are not the victims of our own actions.”
The Senate President did not specify the sections of the law that could be reviewed.
He, however, assured serving lawmakers that the National Assembly would consider amendments aimed at preventing similar situations in future election cycles.
Akpabio added, “I assure you that we shall tinker with it so that future members and future senators will not have difficulty going back.
“Because the more people with experience who come back, the more the country benefits from their activities.”
The Senate President also defended the performance of the 10th National Assembly, describing it as the most peaceful and productive legislature since the return to democratic governance in 1999.
He said the Assembly had recorded major milestones in lawmaking, constitutional amendment and economic reforms through collaboration with the executive arm of government.
Responding to criticisms of recent legislation, including proposals for the establishment of state police, Akpabio said lawmakers had carried out extensive consultations before introducing the bills.
According to him, many of the controversial proposals had undergone public hearings and consultations across the country’s geopolitical zones.
“People are not aware that we have worked on it for the past two and a half years. We have gone to all the regions in Nigeria. We have done public hearings across the country,” he said.
Akpabio urged Nigerians to familiarise themselves with the content of bills before criticising lawmakers.
He added, “Sometimes, before you comment on social media, take time to go through the work we have actually done.
“Our job here is to ensure that we make laws that will last for generations. We are not making laws for ourselves. We are making laws for the protection of Nigeria’s future and for generations unborn.”
