The National Assembly on Tuesday resumed plenary sessions with the scrutiny of President Bola Tinubu’s ₦58.47 trillion 2026 Appropriation Bill, proposed amendments to Nigeria’s electoral laws, and the ongoing review of the 1999 Constitution dominating its legislative agenda.
Leader of the Senate, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, disclosed that both the Senate and the House of Representatives were already intensifying work on the budget proposal submitted by the President to a joint session of the National Assembly on December 18, 2025.
In a statement issued in Abuja, Bamidele said relevant committees in both chambers had begun a detailed examination of the revenue and expenditure framework of the budget, describing it as critical to Nigeria’s economic growth, stability, and long-term prosperity.
“Now that we have resumed plenary, we will devote quality time to the scrutiny and passage of the 2026 Appropriation Bill valued at ₦58.47 trillion,” he said. “Our committees are already looking deeply into the estimates of revenues and expenditures laid before us by President Bola Tinubu.”
According to the Senate Leader, the 2026 budget is designed to consolidate gains recorded in previous fiscal years and, when passed, will strengthen macroeconomic stability, boost Nigeria’s global competitiveness, and translate economic growth into jobs, higher incomes, and improved living standards.
Bamidele also expressed optimism that the budget would help restore and sustain Nigeria’s January-to-December budget cycle, despite challenges experienced in the past.
He linked improved funding prospects for the 2026 budget to recent fiscal reforms, particularly the enactment of the 2025 Tax Reform Act, which he said had restructured the nation’s fiscal space.
“Unlike previous years, we have significantly reformed our fiscal space to reflect our socio-economic realities,” he noted. “The reforms reduce the tax burden on low-income earners while placing greater responsibility on high-income earners. From this, we believe funding our budget will no longer be a challenge, and the deficit will continue to shrink year by year.”
Beyond budgetary matters, Bamidele said the National Assembly was prioritising amendments to the Electoral Act ahead of the 2027 general elections, with the goal of ensuring credible, transparent, and secure polls.
He revealed that the proposed Electoral Bill 2025 introduces more than 20 major innovations, including voting rights for inmates, early release of election funds to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), electronically generated voter identification, real-time transmission of polling unit results, standardised delegates for indirect primaries, stricter voter registration requirements, and tougher sanctions for electoral offences.
“We are prioritising the delivery of an electoral governance framework that will guarantee credible and transparent elections in 2027,” Bamidele said, adding that the ongoing clause-by-clause review of the Electoral Act 2022 was aimed at eliminating impunity in Nigeria’s electoral process.
On constitutional amendments, the Senate Leader disclosed that technical sessions and public hearings had been concluded, with the final report expected to be laid before the Senate by the Deputy Senate President, Senator Barau I. Jibrin, before the end of the first quarter of 2026.
He stressed that the final phase of the constitution review would require approval by at least two-thirds of the 36 state Houses of Assembly, underscoring the pivotal role of sub-national legislatures in effecting constitutional changes.
Reflecting on the remaining lifespan of the 10th National Assembly, Bamidele noted that only 16 months remained out of its four-year tenure, assuring Nigerians that lawmakers would intensify reforms in governance, electoral processes, and economic diversification.
“At this critical time, when global developments increasingly shape our economy and polity, the responsibility on us is greater than ever to reinforce the trust of our constituents in the National Assembly and in our country,” he said.
