National Assembly Resumes With 2026 Budget And Electoral Reforms In Focus

The National Assembly will resume plenary today, with lawmakers set to concentrate on the review of President Bola Tinubu’s N58.47 trillion 2026 budget proposal alongside proposed reforms to Nigeria’s electoral system.

Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, said both the Senate and the House of Representatives would also accelerate work on the ongoing amendment of the 1999 Constitution, assuring that the final version would be transmitted to state Houses of Assembly before the end of the first quarter of 2026.

Speaking in Abuja on Monday, Bamidele disclosed that committees in both chambers had already commenced a detailed examination of the revenue and expenditure framework of the 2026 budget, which was presented by the President at a joint sitting of the National Assembly on December 18, 2025.

According to him, “Now that we have resumed plenary, we will devote quality time to the scrutiny and passage of the 2026 Appropriation Bill valued at N58.47 trillion. In both chambers, our committees are already looking deeply into the estimates of revenues and expenditures that President Bola Tinubu laid before the joint session of the National Assembly on December 18, 2025.
“The proposal is crucial to the growth, prosperity, and stability of our economy this year and even beyond, given its emphasis on consolidating the gains of the previous years.”

Bamidele stated that once approved, the budget would enhance macroeconomic stability, boost Nigeria’s global competitiveness, convert economic growth into tangible benefits for citizens, and help restore the January to December fiscal cycle.

“The budget, when it finally becomes effective, will further reinforce our collective resolve to guarantee our nation’s macroeconomic stability, deepen her global competitiveness and translate economic growth to decent jobs, rising incomes and a better quality of life across the federation.
“This will help us restore and maintain a budget cycle that annually starts from January and ends in December. Achieving these ends might be tough, perhaps unattainable, given the bottlenecks we have experienced before now,” he said.

He linked improved prospects for funding the 2026 budget to recent fiscal reforms, particularly the 2025 Tax Reform Act, which he noted had reshaped the fiscal framework to reduce pressure on low income earners while increasing obligations for higher income groups.

“Unlike previous years, we have significantly reformed our fiscal space to reflect our socio-economic realities. From the reforms of our fiscal space, we believe funding our budget will no longer be a challenge, and our budget deficit will definitely begin to shrink year by year,” Bamidele stated.

Beyond budgetary matters, the Senate Leader said electoral reforms would remain a major priority as the country prepares for the 2027 general elections. He explained that lawmakers were amending the Electoral Act to strengthen the credibility, transparency, and security of future polls.

He revealed that the proposed Electoral Bill, 2025, contains over 20 key amendments, including voting rights for inmates, early release of election funds to INEC, electronic voter identification, real time transmission of results, uniform delegates for indirect primaries, stricter voter registration guidelines, and tougher sanctions for electoral offences.

“Apart from the 2025 Appropriation Bill, we are prioritising the delivery of an electoral governance framework that will guarantee a credible and transparent process in the 2027 general elections. We have started the review of the Electoral Act, 2022, clause by clause, to achieve this end.
“The Bill introduces a system of consequences to our nation’s electoral regime. This provision forecloses the possibility of impunity when electoral offences are established,” he said.

On the constitutional amendment process, Bamidele said technical engagements and public hearings had been concluded, adding that the final report would soon be submitted to the Senate.

“The review of the 1999 Constitution is also at its peak. Before the first quarter elapses, the Deputy President of the Senate and Chairman, Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, Senator Barau Jibrin, will lay the report of the exercise before the Senate,” he said.

He noted that any proposed amendments would still require approval by at least two thirds of the 36 state Houses of Assembly, underscoring the critical role of state legislatures in the process.

Reflecting on the lifespan of the 10th National Assembly, Bamidele observed that only 16 months remained of its four year tenure and pledged that lawmakers would intensify efforts on reforms related to governance, elections, and economic development.

“At this highly critical time, when what happens in other parts of the world now dictates the direction of our economy and polity, the onus rests much more upon us than at any time in history to reinforce our constituents’ trust in their representatives, in the National Assembly and in their fatherland,” he said.