Former Rivers State Governor and ex-Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has renewed calls for compulsory real-time electronic transmission of election results, arguing that the measure is vital to reducing violence and saving lives during elections.
Amaechi made the demand on Tuesday, February 10, when he joined protesters at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja, where demonstrators urged lawmakers to amend the Electoral Act to clearly mandate the Independent National Electoral Commission to transmit results electronically from polling units in real time.
Addressing the protesters, Amaechi said election violence thrives because results are manipulated after voting.
“The advantage is that very few persons will die on the election field. Very few Nigerians. You are saving the lives of Nigerians,” he said, noting that citizens often bear the brunt of electoral violence while public officials remain protected by security operatives.
His intervention comes amid intense debate over proposed amendments to the Electoral Act ahead of the 2027 elections, particularly whether electronic transmission of results should be mandatory or left to INEC’s discretion.
Civil society organisations, youth groups and other concerned citizens staged a sit-in protest at the National Assembly, bringing mattresses and pillows to show they were prepared to remain until their demands were addressed.
Amaechi warned that rigging would persist unless citizens mobilised in large numbers.
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“If you think they won’t rig, you’re wasting time. To stop them from rigging, we must come out in large numbers…
“We must mobilise to march police for police,” he said. “When they see the number of people who have come out, they will join.”
He also criticised what he described as a lack of concern by authorities for citizens’ lives during elections.
“The problem is not even Ribadu. Even the president doesn’t think the citizens matter,” Amaechi said. “The only way to save Nigerians from electoral violence is to allow transmission, re-transmission.”
Drawing on international law, the former governor warned against excessive use of force on voters.
“There is a number you are not allowed to kill… Whoever gave that instruction must account for it. Tinubu won’t travel out of this country after his presidency if those people are killed,” he said.
Amaechi urged Nigerians to sustain pressure nationwide. “If there are 300,000 policemen, bring out 600,000 Nigerians… We must wake up. We must mobilise much, much more,” he added.
The protest has intensified pressure on lawmakers, as campaigners insist that only a clear legal requirement for real-time electronic transmission can prevent manipulation and guarantee credible elections.