NASS Resumes Plenary, Prioritises ₦58.47 Trillion Budget and Landmark Electoral Reforms.

The National Assembly reconvened for plenary on Tuesday, with a packed legislative agenda focused on Nigeria’s fiscal future and the integrity of its democratic processes. Top of the priority list is the rigorous scrutiny of President Bola Tinubu’s proposed ₦58.47 trillion 2026 budget, which was initially presented to a joint session last December.

Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, confirmed that lawmakers are set to fast-track the 2026 Appropriation Bill to maintain the January-to-December fiscal cycle. Beyond the numbers, the Senate is banking on the 2025 Tax Reform Act to bolster revenue, theoretically easing the burden on low-income citizens while narrowing the perennial budget deficit.

Significant attention is also shifting toward the 2027 general elections. The 10th Assembly is currently reviewing the Electoral Act, 2022, with an eye toward the proposed Electoral Bill, 2025. This new framework aims to introduce over 20 major changes, including real-time electronic result transmission, stricter penalties for electoral fraud, and, notably, voting rights for inmates.

Concurrent with these reforms, the constitutional review process is nearing its climax. Legislative leaders expect the final report on the 1999 Constitution amendments to be ready for state-level deliberation by the end of the first quarter of 2026. With only 16 months remaining in their current tenure, lawmakers face a race against time to deliver on these critical governance milestones.