The Senate is preparing to strengthen Nigeria’s electoral system ahead of the 2027 general elections, with a proposal to enforce real-time electronic transmission of results forming the core of proposed amendments to the Electoral Act.

The draft provision, which requires the Independent National Electoral Commission to transmit results electronically from polling units directly to the INEC Result Viewing Portal immediately after votes are counted, is scheduled for clause-by-clause debate on Thursday. This will take place when the Senate considers the report of its Committee on Electoral Matters.

The committee’s report, slated for presentation at plenary, was formally laid before lawmakers on Wednesday following a motion by the Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele (Ekiti Central), who encouraged senators to carefully review the document ahead of deliberations on what he described as a highly sensitive legislation.

With the consent of the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, Bamidele revealed that a brief closed-door meeting would be held before the committee-of-the-whole session. He explained that the session would give senators the opportunity to exchange views on the report prior to the final debate.

A copy of the committee’s report obtained by THISDAY shows that a new subsection (3) has been added to the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, 2025, aimed at reducing result manipulation and incidents of ballot box snatching.

The inserted provision clearly states: “INEC shall electronically transmit election results from each polling unit to the IREV portal in real time and such transmission shall be done simultaneously with the physical collation of results.”

As part of broader reforms, the committee also proposed a new subsection (2) to Section 77, which makes it an offence for presiding officers to fail to sign and stamp ballot papers and the results announced at polling units.

To reflect current electoral practices, Sections 47(2) and (3) were amended to replace references to the “smart card reader” with the “Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS),” thereby formally recognising BVAS as the approved legal tool for voter accreditation.

The report also proposes changes to Section 54(1) to address reported abuses involving visually impaired and incapacitated voters.

Under the amendment, political party agents, candidates, and officials would be prohibited from accompanying such voters into the voting cubicle, a measure intended to safeguard ballot secrecy and integrity.

In an effort to curb vote trading and the unlawful handling of voter cards, the committee recommended tougher penalties for the buying and selling of Permanent Voter Cards.

The proposal seeks to raise the fine stipulated under Section 22 from N500,000 to N5 million for offenders.

Given the far-reaching impact of the amendments on Nigeria’s democratic process, Akpabio urged senators to handle the exercise with care and responsibility.

“Distinguished colleagues, as suggested by the Leader, please let us study the report very well ahead of final consideration tomorrow, first at the closed-door session and then at the committee of the whole,” the Senate President said.

The debate scheduled for Thursday is expected to shape what could become the most significant reform of Nigeria’s electoral framework since the adoption of electronic accreditation and result viewing.

The bribery trial of Nigeria’s former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, is underway at Southwark Crown Court in London, placing renewed international focus on long-running corruption allegations tied to Nigeria’s oil sector.

Alison-Madueke, 65, has pleaded not guilty to six charges related to bribery and conspiracy. The trial, which began on January 27, is expected to last up to three months.

Events Leading To The Charges

Diezani Alison-Madueke rose through Nigeria’s oil industry after joining Shell Petroleum Development Company in 1992, later becoming the firm’s first female executive director.

Her political career gathered momentum with ministerial appointments in Transportation and Mines and Steel Development, before she was named Minister of Petroleum Resources in 2010 under President Goodluck Jonathan.

In that role, she oversaw the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and later became the first woman to serve as President of OPEC between 2014 and 2015.

Her tenure was shadowed by persistent allegations of corruption, favoritism and opaque oil deals involving billions of dollars.

Matters escalated after the 2015 election of President Muhammadu Buhari, whose administration prioritized anti corruption reforms. Alison-Madueke left Nigeria for the United Kingdom shortly before the transition.

In October 2015, she was arrested in London by the UK National Crime Agency as part of a joint investigation with Nigerian authorities. Over the years, multiple probes followed across jurisdictions.

In the UK, courts ordered the forfeiture of millions of pounds in assets deemed proceeds of crime. In Nigeria, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission filed several charges accusing her of diverting large sums from NNPC funds and laundering money through shell companies.

The United States also pursued civil forfeiture actions linked to properties, cash and luxury assets allegedly bought with stolen oil revenues.

Despite these developments, Alison-Madueke consistently denied wrongdoing, describing the accusations as politically motivated. Health challenges, including cancer treatment, contributed to delays in formal prosecution. UK authorities eventually filed criminal charges in August 2023 after extended investigations.

Proceedings And Developments In The UK Trial

The London trial focuses on allegations that between 2011 and 2015, Alison-Madueke accepted bribes from oil industry figures in exchange for influencing oil contracts and strategic decisions involving state entities.

Prosecutors allege she enjoyed an extravagant lifestyle funded by businessmen who benefited from lucrative oil deals.

Evidence presented so far includes claims of millions of pounds spent on luxury shopping at Harrods and other high end stores, exclusive use of multimillion pound properties in London and the countryside, cash payments, private jet travel, chauffeur services and school fees for her son.

Prosecutors say these benefits were provided by oil executives whose companies secured or retained valuable contracts.

The court has also heard about alleged payments routed through associates and family members, including claims involving her brother, Doye Agama. Recorded phone calls and text messages from seized devices have been played to the jury, with prosecutors arguing they show awareness of the sensitive nature of the benefits she received.

Alison-Madueke and her co defendants have all pleaded not guilty. Her legal team is expected to argue that the items and services cited were lawful gifts or personal arrangements unrelated to official decisions, and that no improper influence was exercised.

As proceedings continue into their third day, the case has attracted wide attention in Nigeria and beyond, seen as a major test of international cooperation against corruption.

The outcome could have significant implications for ongoing asset recovery efforts and future extradition requests, while the trial itself continues to unravel years of alleged dealings at the heart of Nigeria’s oil wealth.

Kwara State has secured at least two foreign direct investments valued at $35m, reflecting Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s commitment to driving industrialization and economic expansion in the state.

Sun Qing Rong, team lead of ER-KANG Company Limited, disclosed that the company has completed and officially launched its $20m lithium processing factory, in line with the state government’s policy of promoting value addition and strengthening local manufacturing capacity.

He explained that the company currently employs more than 300 workers, most of whom are indigenes of Kwara State, and noted that the facility processes lithium into finished materials rather than exporting the mineral in its raw form without added value.

Rong also revealed that the firm is establishing a pharmaceutical manufacturing company in Kwara State with an investment exceeding $15m. He added that ER-KANG will partner with the state government in the development of the industrial park.

“This is one of the fruits of the meeting that we held with Your Excellency in Beijing about two years ago. Today, we have completed the lithium plant and it is up and running. And this year, we are starting the pharmaceutical company with the help of Your Excellency,” he said.

“The factory will include two phases of construction for large infusion and small volume injection workshops, which will make up for the shortage of such products in the Nigerian market. At present, the relevant preparatory work is basically completed,” he said.

He praised Governor AbdulRazaq for creating an “outstanding investment environment for foreign investors like us,” adding that the company upholds a strong sense of social responsibility within its host communities.

Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq expressed delight over the investments, stating that they would generate employment opportunities, facilitate technology transfer, and stimulate the state’s local economy.

“We are willing to support you and others to invest more in our state,” he said.

Members of Rong’s delegation at the meeting included the company’s legal adviser, Barrister Ibrahim Atanda; Project Architect, Arch. Sayi Yekeen; Quality Control Supervisor, Shuai Hai Tao; Factory Manager, Cao Zheng Hai; Pharmaceutical Manager, Xie Chuan Li; and Administrative Manager, Mi Guang Hua.

The Governor was accompanied at the meeting by the Special Adviser on Special Duties, Alhaji AbdulRazaq Jiddah.