The National Assembly will soon release a new Electoral Act aimed at correcting imperfections in Nigeria’s existing electoral law, Senator Sharafadeen Alli, representing Oyo South Senatorial District, has said.

Senator Alli made the disclosure on Tuesday while delivering his goodwill message at the 8th annual Senator Abiola Ajimobi Roundtable held at the University of Ibadan.

The roundtable, themed “Pathways to Electoral Credibility: Reforming Political Parties, Re-engineering Citizens, and Restoring Trust in Nigerian Democracy,” featured a keynote lecture delivered by Professor Ibrahim Gambari, former Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations and former Chief of Staff to late President Muhammadu Buhari.

Responding to concerns raised by speakers on electoral credibility, Alli, who chairs the Senate Committee on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), explained that Nigeria’s Electoral Act has been amended five times since the return to democracy in 1999, reflecting sustained efforts to strengthen the country’s electoral framework.

He traced the evolution of the law through amendments in 2001, 2002, 2007 and 2010, noting that the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended) represented a major milestone by regulating party primaries, strengthening voter registration, granting INEC greater independence in setting election timetables, and empowering courts to nullify wrongful nominations. According to him, the Act governed the 2011, 2015 and 2019 general elections.

Senator Alli also highlighted the Electoral Act 2022, which he said introduced landmark reforms such as the legalisation of electronic transmission of results, the introduction of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), stricter campaign finance rules, and improved internal party democracy. The Act was applied during the 2023 general elections.

He said the proposed new Electoral Act would build on these reforms to address lingering gaps, enhance transparency, and restore public confidence in Nigeria’s electoral system.

Meanwhile, speakers at the roundtable commended Mrs. Florence Ajimobi for her courage and values, noting that her commitment has sustained the annual event six years after the death of her husband, former Oyo State Governor and Senator, Abiola Ajimobi.