Protesters Besiege N’ Assembly, Demand Real-Time Electronic Transmission of Election Results

Sunday Aborisade in Abuja

Tension gripped the National Assembly complex in Abuja on Monday as protesters massed at the main entrance, triggering heavy security deployment over mounting demands for the inclusion of real-time electronic transmission of election results in the ongoing Electoral Act amendment process.

Under the banner ‘Occupy National Assembly,’ the demonstrators insisted that the Senate must make an explicit and unambiguous provision for electronic transmission of results in the amended law, dismissing recent explanations by the upper chamber that it did not jettison the reform.

Armed security operatives drawn from the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigerian Army and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) were deployed in and around the complex to maintain order as the crowd gathered, chanting slogans and displaying placards calling for credible elections and transparency in the electoral process.

The protest was spearheaded by a coalition of civil society organisations, with visible participation from a handful of members of the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC), as well as representatives of various women’s groups, all of whom converged at the gate of the National Assembly as the demonstration commenced.

The protesters accused the legislature of attempting to water down electoral reforms critical to restoring public confidence in elections, arguing that anything short of real-time electronic transmission would leave room for manipulation and undermine democratic credibility ahead of future polls.

The protest followed a call to action by human rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, who on Sunday announced that the National Opposition Movement would mobilise Nigerians to resist what he described as the “removal of electronic transmission of election results” from the amendment bill.

In a post on his verified X (formerly Twitter) handle, Sowore alleged that the decision was a deliberate attempt to compromise the integrity of future elections. 

He urged Nigerians to troop out en masse in support of the #OccupyNASS protest, warning that failure to act could further erode trust in the electoral system.

As of the time of filing this report, security remained tight at the National Assembly, while protesters vowed to sustain pressure on lawmakers until their demand for real-time electronic transmission of results is clearly and expressly enshrined in law.

Details later…