Peter Obi Leads Protest At National Assembly Against Amendment To Electoral Act
•By Admin
ABUJA – FORMER Labour Party presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, on Monday joined scores of protesters at the National Assembly Complex, Abuja, to oppose the Senate’s decision to remove the phrase “real-time” from provisions on electronic transmission of election results in the proposed Electoral Act amendment.
The protest, staged under the banner “Occupy the National Assembly,” was organised by the Obidient Movement in collaboration with pro-democracy and civil society groups. Demonstrators accused lawmakers of deliberately weakening electoral safeguards ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The agitation followed the Senate’s passage last week of the Electoral Act 2022 (Repeal and Re-enactment) Amendment Bill, 2026, which has generated controversy over the deletion of “real-time” from sections dealing with electronic transmission of results. Critics argue that the omission could open loopholes for post-election manipulation.
While the Senate has maintained that electronic transmission of results was not entirely removed from the bill, protesters insisted that the absence of “real-time electronic transmission” undermines transparency and could be exploited to tamper with election outcomes.
Singing protest songs and displaying placards with inscriptions such as “Our Votes Must Count,” “No to Electoral Robbery,” and “Protect Democracy,” demonstrators marched from the Federal Secretariat towards the National Assembly.
However, security operatives from the Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Army, and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) blocked access to the complex, forcing protesters to stage their demonstration outside the main gate.
Addressing journalists, Obi decried what he described as a gradual rollback of democratic gains in the country, stressing that credible elections are central to national unity, stability, and development.
“We must dismantle this criminality and prove that Nigeria can stand as a beacon of hope in Africa,” Obi said.
His presence further energised the crowd, many of whom view him as a leading figure of the youth-driven political movement that disrupted Nigeria’s traditional political order during the 2023 general elections.
Also speaking, Dr.
Yunusa Tanko, National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement Worldwide, vowed that the protest would continue until the National Assembly reinstates real-time electronic transmission of results in the amended law.
“Without electronic transmission of results, there can be no credible election. Our electoral process must be transparent,” Tanko said.
He recalled that past elections were often marred by manipulation at the collation stage, noting that electronic transmission was introduced as part of reforms following the 2011 and 2015 elections to curb such abuses.
Nigeria’s push for electoral reforms intensified after the widely criticised 2007 general elections, leading to innovations such as the introduction of card readers in 2015 and the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) in 2022, developments widely applauded despite implementation challenges.
Another speaker, activist Randy Peters, accused the political elite of betraying democratic ideals and vowed that demonstrators would continue to occupy the National Assembly until their demands are met.
“We will be back here tomorrow and the day after until the Senate does the right thing. The June 12 struggle was about free and fair elections, and this government claimed to support that cause,” Peters said.
Invoking the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential election, widely regarded as Nigeria’s freest poll, Peters questioned why elected leaders would resist reforms designed to guarantee credible elections.
“Are democrats now afraid of losing elections? In 2027, our votes must count. That is the most important thing,” he added.