Former presidential candidate Peter Obi joined hundreds of youths and activists in a protest outside the National Assembly on Monday, demanding lawmakers reverse a controversial decision rejecting mandatory electronic transmission of election results.
The demonstration, dubbed “Occupy National Assembly,” drew pro-democracy groups, civil society organizations and opposition figures to the gates of the legislative complex in the capital Abuja, where they chanted slogans and waved placards calling for greater electoral transparency.
Obi, who ran for president in 2023 under the Labour Party banner and previously served as governor of Anambra state, addressed the crowd, criticizing the Senate’s recent vote on the Electoral Act Amendment Bill.
“Allow the election to go through the normal process. Whatever the outcome is, we will accept it. Why introduce confusion after the process?” Obi said, according to witnesses.
He argued that scrapping the electronic transmission clause erodes public trust in the voting system and fuels doubts over the integrity of future polls.
Protesters echoed these concerns, insisting that real-time digital reporting of results is essential to prevent manipulation and bolster confidence in Nigeria’s democracy, which has faced repeated allegations of irregularities in past elections.
The rally included women’s groups and a small contingent from the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC), with participants gathering early in the morning under tight security.
Armed police, soldiers from the Nigerian Army and officers from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) were deployed around the site, blocking access to the building but allowing the peaceful assembly to proceed without reported incidents.
The Senate’s passage of the amendment bill last week, which omitted the mandatory electronic provision despite calls from reform advocates, has sparked widespread backlash from civic groups and political opponents.
