The Nigerian Senate has said that it has not yet taken a position on the proposed amendment to the Electoral Act seeking to criminalise dual party membership, because the House of Representatives has not formally transmitted the bill.
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Publicity, Yemi Adaramodu, made the clarification in an interview, noting that the upper chamber cannot deliberate on any proposal that has not passed through the required legislative stages in the lower chamber.
He said that Nigeria’s bicameral system requires that any amendment must first be considered, passed, and transmitted by the House before the Senate can act on it.
“Even if any amendment is coming, we are running a bicameral legislature. So, we can’t comment on it until it gets to us. If anything scales through the first and second readings and does not go to public hearing and then to the Committee of Whole and the House of Reps to deliberate and pass to us, we cannot comment on it. There can’t be an amendment yet until it comes to us from the House.
“In a nutshell, even after the President’s assent, there could still be an amendment, whether private, executive or coming from the public through a legislator.
“So, this law cannot be enacted wholly until it passes through the other chamber. As of now, it has not come to us. So we can’t comment further on it.”
DrumAfricanews reports that comments follow the recent passage of a bill by the House of Representatives seeking to amend the Electoral Act 2026 to prohibit individuals from holding membership in more than one political party at the same time.
The proposed amendment introduces stricter penalties, including a fine of N10 million or up to two years imprisonment, or both, for offenders.
It also provides that anyone found to be registered in multiple political parties would have such memberships declared invalid.
The amendment adds three new subsections to Section 77 of the Act, which deals with political party membership, stating that anyone registered with more than one party at the same time will have all such memberships voided.
“A person shall not be registered as a member of more than one political party at the same time.
“Where it is established that a person is registered as a member of more than one political party at the same time, such dual membership shall be void, and the person shall cease to be recognised as a valid member of any political party pending regularisation in accordance with the provisions of this Act and the constitution of the political party concerned.
“A person who knowingly registers or maintains membership in more than one political party at the same time commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine of N10m or to imprisonment for a term of two years, or both.”
This medium learnt that when eventually passed by both chambers and assented to by the President, the amendment is expected to strengthen regulations on party affiliation and address concerns over politicians maintaining links with multiple parties.
