Bamidele said the National Assembly would devote “quality time to the scrutiny and passage of the 2026 Appropriation Bill valued at ₦58.47 trillion.
By Deborah Hassan
365Daily – The Leader of the Senate, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, has outlined the key priorities of the 10th National Assembly as it resumes plenary, highlighting the ₦58.47 trillion 2026 Appropriation Bill, major electoral reforms ahead of the 2027 general elections, and the final phase of the review of the 1999 Constitution.
Bamidele noted that only 16 months remain of the Assembly’s four-year tenure, underscoring the need for urgent but carefully considered legislative action in a rapidly changing global environment.
He noted that the last 32 months had been devoted to “far-reaching reforms that cut across all the sectors of our economy,” aimed at transforming Nigeria from an extraction-dependent state to “an economically diversified state… repositioned for global competitiveness.”
On the budget, Bamidele said the National Assembly would devote “quality time to the scrutiny and passage of the 2026 Appropriation Bill valued at ₦58.47 trillion,” presented by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to a joint session on December 18, 2025. He said committees in both chambers were already examining the revenue and expenditure estimates.
The budget, he said, is crucial to growth, macro-economic stability and restoring a January–December budget cycle, while translating growth into “decent jobs, rising incomes and a better quality of life across the federation.”
Bamidele also pointed to fiscal reforms culminating in the 2025 Tax Reform Act, which he said “eases tax burden off the shoulders of low-income earners and places more responsibilities upon the high-income earners,” adding that the reforms would make budget funding easier and ensure the deficit “begins to shrink year by year.”
On electoral reforms, he said the Assembly was prioritising a credible framework for the 2027 polls through a review of the Electoral Act, 2022 and the Electoral Bill, 2025, which introduces no fewer than 20 key provisions.
These include voting rights for prisoners under Section 12; mandatory release of election funds at least one year before polls under Section 3(3); electronically generated voter identification cards with QR codes; compulsory electronic transmission of polling-unit results; and the standardisation of delegates for indirect primaries.
Other measures cover stricter voter identification, extended publication of candidates’ details, early verification of party symbols, tighter regulation of party conventions, judicial determination of candidate exclusion, higher campaign spending and donation limits, and harsher penalties for electoral offences.
“The Bill introduces a system of consequence to our nation’s electoral regime,” Bamidele said.
He said sanctions for vote buying range from a ₦5 million fine to two years’ imprisonment and a 10-year ban from contesting elections, with mandatory jail terms and heavier fines also prescribed for result falsification and obstruction of election officials.
Bamidele said the Committees on INEC in both chambers would soon submit their reports, after which the Bill would be debated and voted on clause by clause before transmission to the President.
On the constitution review, he said technical sessions and public hearings had been concluded and that the Deputy President of the Senate and Chairman of the Constitution Review Committee, Senator Barau I. Jibrin, would present the report before the end of the first quarter of 2026.
He added that under Section 9(3) of the 1999 Constitution, the report must be transmitted to the 36 State Houses of Assembly, requiring approval by at least two-thirds for any alteration.
“As we round off the process, the onus now rests upon the state legislatures to consider the proposals on their merit and approve them accordingly,” he said.
Bamidele concluded that beyond legislative output, the Assembly remains focused on public trust. “At the end of it all, good governance, enhanced security and welfare of our constituents shall remain our cardinal objectives,” he said.