Protesters converged on the entrance of the National Assembly in Abuja on Monday for the “Occupy National Assembly” demonstration, pressing lawmakers to explicitly mandate real-time electronic transmission of election results.
The protest comes amid ongoing debate over the Senate’s position on the electronic transmission of results. While the Senate has issued multiple clarifications denying claims that it rejected the measure, protesters insist that the phrase “real-time electronic transmission” must be clearly included in the proposed legislation.
Security was tight, with personnel from the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigerian Army, and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps stationed at the scene. Police barricaded the entrance to the National Assembly, ensuring that demonstrators remained outside the premises.
Members of civil society organisations, women’s groups, and opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC) members participated in the protest. According to some civil society representatives, the demonstration was planned to remain outside the National Assembly, focusing on visible advocacy rather than attempting to enter the premises.
The protesters marched from the Federal Secretariat to the National Assembly gate, drawing attention to concerns about electoral transparency following glitches reported by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) during the 2023 elections.
Peter Obi, the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate who recently joined the ADC, participated in the protest. He urged the Senate to take decisive action to prevent a repeat of past electoral challenges and to make real-time electronic transmission mandatory in future elections.
