Sunday Aborisade in Abuja
The Senate on Thursday rescinded its earlier decision passing the Proceeds of Crime Act (Amendment) Bill, 2026, citing the need to address substantive drafting, legal and policy issues identified after the legislation was approved on July 9, 2026.
Moving the motion, Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, said the chamber had discovered fundamental concerns that required further legislative scrutiny and refinement to ensure the bill achieved its intended objectives.
He noted that leaving the identified issues unresolved could undermine the effective implementation of the proposed law and create unintended legal and operational consequences.
According to him, it was in the overriding public interest for the Senate to revisit the bill to ensure that it conforms with international best practices on asset recovery, proceeds of crime management, and Nigeria’s constitutional and legal framework.
Relying on Orders 1(b) and 52(6) of the Senate Standing Orders (2023–2027), Bamidele urged the Senate to rescind its earlier decision to allow for comprehensive review of the contentious provisions.
The motion sparked a brief procedural clarification after former Senate Leader, Senator Yahaya Abdullahi, raised concerns over whether the motion had been properly listed on the supplementary Order Paper.
Presiding Senate President Godswill Akpabio clarified that the motion was validly brought under Order 1(b), while Bamidele explained that Abdullahi’s intervention was purely procedural and not an objection to the substance of the motion.
Abdullahi subsequently seconded the motion, describing the reasons advanced by the Senate Leader as being in the national interest.
He said the identified issues justified reopening the bill to ensure that the final legislation aligns with international standards and Nigeria’s legal framework.
The former Senate Leader, however, sought clarification on the next legislative step, asking whether the bill would be returned to the relevant Senate committee or referred to the National Assembly’s legal department for the required amendments and further scrutiny.
Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin commended the Senate Leader for promptly bringing the matter before the chamber after the deficiencies were discovered.
He noted that errors could occur during the legislative process and stressed that correcting them before a bill becomes law demonstrated legislative responsibility rather than weakness.
Jibrin urged senators to approve the rescission without delay so that the identified deficiencies could be corrected expeditiously.
Also contributing, Senator Abdul Ningi said the development was not unusual in parliamentary practice, advising that the sponsor of the bill should be fully involved in harmonising the revised provisions to ensure broad ownership of the final legislation.
A few senators observed that if the proposed amendments were substantial, the bill might require another public hearing.
However, the Senate President ruled the observation out of order, explaining that the chamber was only considering the motion to rescind the earlier passage of the bill and not debating its substantive provisions.
Akpabio clarified that the legislation, which was a private member’s bill rather than an executive bill, would be reconsidered after the identified inconsistencies with international best practices had been addressed.
Following a voice vote, the Senate unanimously adopted the motion, thereby rescinding its July 9 decision approving the Proceeds of Crime Act (Amendment) Bill, 2026.
Akpabio thereafter directed that the bill should not be transmitted to the House of Representatives pending its review.
Shortly after the decision, Bamidele moved a motion for the Senate to proceed into a closed-door session to consider matters he described as urgent and of national importance.
Before the motion was taken, Deputy Senate President Jibrin cited Section 62 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) to remind senators that while committees are empowered to make recommendations, the constitution does not compel either chamber of the National Assembly to adopt such recommendations.
He stressed that legislative committees serve only advisory functions and that the Senate retains the constitutional authority to accept, modify or reject any recommendation placed before it.
The Senate President sustained the constitutional point of order.
The motion for a closed session, seconded by Minority Leader, Senator Abba Moro, was subsequently adopted by voice vote, after which the Senate proceeded into executive session.
