Opposition members of the House of Representatives on Tuesday staged a walkout during plenary after a heated confrontation over a motion seeking to rescind the passage of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill.
The lawmakers were seen in a video circulating online chanting “APC ole” – a Yoruba phrase meaning “APC thieves” – as they exited the chamber in protest. The demonstration followed what they described as an attempt to undermine the provision mandating real-time electronic transmission of election results.
Business Hallmark had reported that tension began when Francis Waive, Chairman of the House Committee on Rules and Business, moved a motion urging the House to revisit and reverse its earlier approval of the bill passed on December 23, 2025.
The amendment had introduced a clause requiring presiding officers to electronically transmit results from each polling unit to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) Result Viewing Portal (IReV) in real time. The measure has been widely regarded as a critical reform aimed at strengthening transparency and credibility in Nigeria’s electoral process.
Trouble erupted when Speaker Tajudeen Abbas put the motion to a voice vote. Although the “nays” appeared louder than the “ayes,” the Speaker ruled that the motion had carried. The ruling immediately drew strong objections from opposition lawmakers, who accused the presiding officer of misjudging the vote.
The chamber quickly descended into a rowdy atmosphere, with lawmakers shouting across party lines. Some members stood up in protest, challenging the Speaker’s decision and demanding a more definitive voting process.
Amid the uproar, opposition lawmakers began chanting “APC ole” as they made their way out of the chamber, accusing members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of attempting to dilute electoral reforms.
In a bid to restore order, Speaker Abbas called for the House to proceed into an executive session. While some members resisted the move, the Speaker eventually directed that the chamber go into a closed-door meeting.
The controversy surrounding the bill stems from earlier differences between the House and the Senate over the electronic transmission clause.
While the House had adopted mandatory real-time transmission of results to IReV, the Senate initially rejected the provision during its consideration of the bill, prompting criticism from civil society organisations and electoral reform advocates.
However, the Senate later reversed its position and approved electronic transmission of results, introducing a condition that manual collation should serve as a fallback in cases of technological failure.
Due to the discrepancies in both versions of the bill, a conference committee has been constituted to harmonise the differences before a final version is transmitted for assent.