Peter Obi, former governor of Anambra State and presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 election, on Monday led protesters to the National Assembly in Abuja to oppose the Senate’s decision on the electronic transmission of election results.
The protest, tagged ‘Occupy National Assembly’, was organised by Nigerian youths, pro-democracy activists and civil society groups who are demanding that lawmakers reverse their position on the electronic transmission clause in the Electoral Act Amendment Bill.
Addressing the protesters at the entrance of the National Assembly complex, Obi faulted the Senate’s decision and urged lawmakers to allow the electoral process to run without restrictions.
“Allow the election to go through the normal process. Whatever the outcome is, we will accept it. Why introduce confusion after the process?” he said.
According to him, the rejection of electronic transmission of results by the Senate undermines public confidence in the electoral process and raises concerns about transparency and credibility ahead of future elections.
The protesters insisted that electronic transmission of results is critical to strengthening trust in Nigeria’s elections and called on the National Assembly to reconsider the clause in the interest of democratic integrity.
Participants at the demonstration included members of civil society organisations, women’s groups and a handful of members of the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC), who converged at the main entrance of the National Assembly early on Monday morning.
A heavy security presence was observed around the complex, with operatives of the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigerian Army and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) deployed to maintain order.
Security personnel were stationed at strategic points within and around the National Assembly as the protesters chanted slogans and displayed placards calling for the restoration of electronic transmission of election results.
The protest follows the Senate’s recent passage of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, during which lawmakers rejected a proposal to make electronic transmission of results mandatory, a decision that has continued to attract criticism from civil society groups and opposition figures across the country.