Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, on Monday joined hundreds of protesters at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja to oppose the Senate’s decision to remove “real-time” electronic transmission of election results from the Electoral Act Amendment Bill.
The demonstration, tagged “Occupy the National Assembly,” was organised by members of the Obidient Movement alongside pro-democracy activists.
The protesters accused lawmakers of deliberately weakening electoral transparency ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The protest followed the Senate’s passage of the Electoral Act 2022 (Repeal and Reenactment) Amendment Bill, 2026, through a third reading last week.
A key controversy surrounding the bill is the deletion of the phrase “real-time” from sections relating to the electronic transmission of results—an amendment critics say opens the door to manipulation.
Although the Senate has repeatedly stated that it did not abolish electronic transmission of results, protesters insist that removing the “real-time” requirement undermines the integrity of the process and allows for post-election interference.
Carrying placards bearing messages such as “Our votes must count,” “No to electoral robbery,” and “Protect democracy now,” the demonstrators marched from the Federal Secretariat toward the National Assembly.
Their movement was halted at the complex’s entrance by heavily deployed security personnel from the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigerian Army, and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, forcing the protest to continue outside the gates.
Speaking to journalists, Obi warned that Nigeria’s democratic gains were steadily being eroded, stressing that credible elections are essential to national stability and development.
“We must dismantle this criminality and prove that we are now a nation that shows light in Africa,” he said.
He called on the National Assembly to pass laws that explicitly mandate electronic transmission of election results.
“The danger is clear. We have suffered it before, and we don’t want any glitch again. This is finished. We want things to return to normal. No more glitch,” Obi added.
His presence energised the protesters, many of whom see him as a leading figure of the youth-driven political movement that gained prominence during the 2023 elections.
The National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement Worldwide, Dr. Yunusa Tanko, said the protests would continue until lawmakers restore the provision for real-time electronic transmission in the amended law.
“If there is no electronic transmission of results, there will be no credible election. Our elections must be transparent,” Tanko said.
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He argued that previous elections were plagued by manipulation during manual collation, a challenge electronic transmission was designed to address following reforms after the 2011 and 2015 elections. He noted that the introduction of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) in 2022 marked progress, despite implementation challenges.
Civil society organisations had also strongly advocated electronic transmission during deliberations leading to the 2022 Electoral Act, describing it as crucial to reducing human interference and rebuilding public trust.
Popular activist Randy Peters, who addressed the crowd, accused the political class of betraying democratic ideals and vowed that protesters would continue to return to the National Assembly until their demands are met.
“Tomorrow, we will be back here until the Senate does the right thing. June 12 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 resist reforms that ensure credible outcomes.
“In 2027, our votes must count. That is the most important thing. Tomorrow, they will meet us here again,” he added.