Obi joins mass protest at NASS, demands end to Electoral Act controversy

The Labour Party presidential candidate in 2023, Peter Obi, on Monday joined hundreds of protesters at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja.

Our correspondent reports that Obi was at the complex to protest the Senate’s decision to remove the phrase “real-time” from provisions on electronic transmission of election results in the Electoral Act Amendment Bill.

Our correspondent also reports that the protest, tagged: “Occupy the National Assembly,” was organised by members of the Obidient Movement, alongside some pro-democracy activists.

The protesters accused lawmakers of attempting to weaken electoral transparency, ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The agitation followed the passage of the Electoral Act 2022 (Repeal and Reenactment) Amendment Bill, 2026 by the Senate last week.

Our correspondent reports that one of key controversial aspects of the amended legislation is the deletion of the word “real-time” in sections relating to electronic transmission of results, a move, critics argued, could open door for manipulation.

Although the Senate had issued several clarifications, insisting that it did not reject electronic transmission of results, protesters maintained that the absence of the phrase “real-time electronic transmission” leaves room for abuse and post-election interference.

Chanting solidarity songs and displaying 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.

They were, however, prevented from entering the complex by heavily armed security operatives drawn from the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigerian Army and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.

The security agencies barricaded the main entrance, thus compelling the protesters to stage their demonstration outside the gates.

Addressing newsmen at the protest ground, Obi decried what he described as the gradual erosion of democratic gains in the country, warning that credible elections remained critical 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.

Also speaking, the National Coordinator of Obidient Movement Worldwide, Dr Yunusa Tanko, said the protests would continue until the real-time electronic transmission of results in the amended law was reinstated.

“If there is no electronic transmission of results, there will be no election. Our elections must be credible,” Tanko said.

He claimed that previous elections had often been compromised by manual interference during result collation, noting that electronic transmission was introduced as part of reforms, following the 2011 and 2015 elections.

Our correspondent reports that Nigeria’s push for electoral reforms gained momentum after the widely-criticised 2007 general elections.

Subsequent innovations, including the introduction of card readers in 2015 and the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) in 2022, were praised as steps toward transparency, despite ongoing implementation challenges.

The provision for electronic transmission of results was also a major demand by civil society organisations during deliberations on the 2022 Electoral Act.

The advocates argued that it would reduce human interference and rebuild public trust in the electoral process.

Popular activist, Randy Peters, who also addressed the protesters, accused the political class of betraying democratic ideals and vowed that demonstrations would continue until their demands were met.

“Tomorrow, we will be back here until the Senate does the right thing. The June 12 struggle was about free and fair elections,” he said.

Invoking the legacy of the June 12, 1993 election, widely regarded as Nigeria’s freest and fairest, Peters questioned why elected officials would resist reforms designed to guarantee credible polls.

“In 2027, our votes must count. That is the most important thing. Tomorrow, they will meet us here again,” he said.