Citizenship News
Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, on Monday joined a large crowd of protesters at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja to oppose the Senate’s decision to drop the phrase “real-time” from provisions on electronic transmission of election results in the Electoral Act Amendment Bill.
The protest, branded Occupy the National Assembly, was organised by members of the Obedient Movement alongside pro-democracy groups.
The organisers accused lawmakers of taking steps that could erode electoral transparency ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The demonstration followed the passage of the Electoral Act 2022 (Repeal and Reenactment) Amendment Bill, 2026 by the Senate last week.
A controversial aspect of the amendment is the removal of the words “real-time” from clauses relating to the electronic transmission of results, a change critics argue could weaken protections against electoral malpractice.
While the Senate has issued several explanations, maintaining that it did not discard electronic transmission of results, protesters insist that the omission of “real-time electronic transmission” opens the door to manipulation and post-election interference.
Singing solidarity songs and displaying placards reading “Our votes must count,” “No to electoral robbery,” and “Protect democracy now,” the demonstrators marched from the Federal Secretariat toward the National Assembly.
Security agencies, including the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigerian Army, and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, mounted a heavy presence at the complex and blocked access to the main entrance, compelling the protesters to stage their demonstration outside the gates.
Speaking to journalists at the venue, Obi decried what he described as the gradual rollback of Nigeria’s democratic progress, stressing that credible elections are essential for national unity and development.
“We must dismantle this criminality and show that Nigeria can be a beacon of hope in Africa,” he said.
Obi’s participation energised the crowd, many of whom regard him as a key figure in the youth-driven political movement that gained prominence during the 2023 general elections.
The National Coordinator of the Obedient Movement Worldwide, Dr Yunusa Tanko, said the protests would persist until the National Assembly clearly reinstates real-time electronic transmission of results in the amended legislation.
According to him, “If there is no electronic transmission of results, there will be no election. Our elections must be credible.”
Tanko noted that previous elections were often compromised by manual interference during result collation, a challenge electronic transmission was designed to eliminate following reforms after the 2011 and 2015 polls.
Nigeria’s push for electoral reform intensified after the widely criticised 2007 general elections. The introduction of card readers in 2015 and the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) in 2022 were seen as major strides toward transparency, despite lingering implementation issues.
Electronic transmission of results also featured prominently in advocacy by civil society organisations during deliberations on the 2022 Electoral Act, with proponents arguing that it would reduce human interference and rebuild public trust in elections.
Another speaker at the protest, activist Randy Peters, accused the political elite of undermining democratic principles and pledged that demonstrators would continue to return to the National Assembly until their demands are addressed.
“We will be back here tomorrow until the Senate does the right thing. The June 12 struggle was about free and fair elections,” he said.
Referencing the June 12, 1993 election, widely regarded as Nigeria’s freest and fairest, Peters questioned why elected officials would oppose reforms that ensure credible electoral outcomes.
“In 2027, our votes must count. That is the most important thing. We will meet them here again tomorrow,” he concluded.
