President Bola Tinubu is expected to sign the amended Electoral Act into law this month, Senate President, Sen. Godswill Akpabio, has said.

Akpabio made the disclosure on Tuesday during an emergency plenary session at which lawmakers constituted a committee to harmonise the Senate’s version of the bill with that passed by the House of Representatives, following backlash over some amendments.

“I believe that if you are able to conclude within the next few days or one week, the President should be able to sign this amended Electoral Bill into an Act of Parliament within this month of February,” he told lawmakers. “So I wish you a worthy deliberation with your colleagues.”

He said the 12-member committee would work with the House to reconcile differences between the versions passed by both chambers, and urged members to treat the assignment as urgent.

“The conference committee, when you meet, you should recognise that this is a matter of urgency,” Akpabio said.

He explained that the committee’s expansion followed consultations with the leadership and was aimed at ensuring closer collaboration with the House of Representatives.

Tuesday’s session followed public criticism over the Senate’s earlier handling of the bill.

Last week, the Senate rejected proposals for real-time electronic transmission of election results as contained in Clause 60(3), but retained provisions in the 2022 Act empowering the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to determine the mode of transmission.

Opposition leaders criticised the move, arguing that it could undermine Nigeria’s democracy, and staged protests at the National Assembly.

However, on Tuesday, the Senate reversed itself and approved electronic transmission, removing the “real-time” requirement. It also stipulated that where internet connectivity fails, Form EC8A would remain the primary instrument for result collation.