Protesters under the banner of “Occupy National Assembly” on Monday gathered at the entrance of the National Assembly complex in Abuja, demanding clearer legislative backing for electronic transmission of election results. The demonstrators said their action was triggered by the Senate’s recent position on the amendment of the Electoral Act, which has generated widespread public debate.
Participants in the protest included members of civil society organisations, representatives of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), and various women’s groups. The demonstrators assembled at the Federal Secretariat before marching towards the National Assembly gate, where they staged their protest to press their demands for electoral transparency.
Security was visibly heightened around the National Assembly complex, with personnel drawn from the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigerian Army, and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps stationed at the entrance. Authorities barricaded access to the complex, although protest organisers maintained that their demonstration was intended to remain peaceful and confined to the outer gates of the legislative building.
The protesters insisted that lawmakers must explicitly include the phrase “real-time electronic transmission of election results” in the proposed Electoral Act amendment. They argued that the absence of mandatory real-time transmission could weaken transparency and public trust in Nigeria’s electoral process, particularly as the country prepares for the 2027 general elections.
The controversy stems from the Senate’s recent passage of the Electoral Act 2022 (Repeal and Reenactment) Amendment Bill 2026, which retained the existing provision allowing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to determine the method of result transmission. The Senate rejected a proposal that would have compelled presiding officers to upload results electronically from polling units to the INEC Result Viewing Portal in real time.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio has defended the chamber’s position, stating that lawmakers did not abolish electronic transmission but only removed the requirement for real-time uploads. He explained that the change was intended to avoid potential legal disputes arising from network failures or technological limitations in remote areas, while allowing INEC flexibility to determine the most practical approach.
The debate has continued to intensify, with political stakeholders and advocacy groups calling for stronger legal safeguards to enhance election credibility. Meanwhile, the Senate has scheduled an emergency plenary session, a move analysts believe could address concerns raised by protesters and shape the future of Nigeria’s electoral reforms.
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