Abbas Pledges Commitment To Electoral, Security Bills

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, has pledged the commitment of the parliament to championing reforms bordering on the electoral, economic, and security sectors of the country.

He stated this on Tuesday in his welcome address to members of the House, following the resumption from their annual recess, which commenced on July 24, 2025.

There have been calls by eminent Nigerians and civil society groups for the reform of the nation’s electoral laws, particularly in the areas of electronic transmission of results in real time.

In the past few months, mindless killings of hundreds of innocent Nigerians took place in Plateau, Zamfara, Benue and Kwara State, fuelling calls by some citizens for the adoption of state policing to complement the current centralised policing model in the country.

In his address, Abbas reminded the lawmakers not to forget that “The responsibilities before us are substantial, and the progress we have made so far is meaningful but incomplete.”

He continued, “In the coming months, our attention must turn to several urgent priorities. Chief among them is the constitutional amendment. Eighty-seven proposals concerning devolution of powers, local government autonomy, judicial reform, and socio-economic rights await debate and voting.

“We must now complete these votes and transmit the approved amendments to the State Assemblies before the end of December to enable early concurrence ahead of the election period.”