Former presidential candidate and leading hopeful for the 2027 elections, Peter Obi, on Monday led a group of protesters to the National Assembly to demand electoral reforms.
Obi, who was accompanied by several supporters including activist Aisha Yesufu, was seen at the entrance of the parliamentary complex as the demonstrators pressed their demands.
Speaking on the protest ground Obi said, “Simple transmission. It’s not a difficult thing. Allow the election to go through the normal process. Whoever wins, we will accept. So why are you bringing in all sorts of confusion?”
The protesters gathered at the National Assembly to call for the approval of real-time electronic transmission of election results from polling units, a key provision in the Electoral Amendment Bill currently under consideration.
Their presence at the complex drew attention as they chanted and displayed solidarity in support of electoral transparency and credibility.
Security operatives were deployed to maintain order around the area.
Personnel of the Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps and other paramilitary agencies stationed patrol vans at strategic points around the National Assembly complex, while officers monitored the situation to prevent any breakdown of law and order.
The protesters began their march from the Federal Secretariat, heading towards the National Assembly gate and vowed to push for the mandatory electronic transmission of results as part of the Electoral Act amendment in Nigeria.
This follows several reports that the Senate had rejected the clause for the mandatory transmission of electronic results in the ongoing amendment.
However, the Senate has issued several clarifications and denied any complixity but the protesters insist that lawmakers must be explicit by including the phrase “real-time electronic transmission” in the proposed legislation.
Recall that stakeholders, including the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), had warned that they may mobilise mass protests or push for a boycott of future elections over what is described as the Senate’s contradictory stance on the amendment to the 2022 Electoral Act, particularly on the electronic transmission of election results.