House Breaks New Ground as Abbas Unveils Electronic Voting for Constitutional Amendments

|By Chinwendu Nwani

The House of Representatives will on Thursday make history as it adopts electronic voting for constitutional amendments for the first time in Nigeria’s legislative process.

Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas, disclosed this on Wednesday while addressing lawmakers on the floor of the chamber, confirming that members will cast their votes electronically on the proposed amendments.

While the House has previously deployed electronic voting for motions and routine resolutions, decisions on constitutional amendments have traditionally relied on voice votes or manual counting. Abbas said the shift marks a deliberate move to strengthen the credibility of the process.

The introduction of electronic voting is expected to deliver precise voting records and significantly reduce disputes that have often trailed constitutional amendment exercises in past assemblies.

Under the Constitution, proposed amendments require the approval of at least two-thirds of House members, a threshold that has historically generated controversy during voting.

Lawmakers and political analysts say the new system will deepen transparency and accountability, as each legislator’s vote will be individually captured and verifiable, setting a new benchmark for legislative decision-making in Nigeria.