In a significant escalation of the tension surrounding the proposed Electoral Act Amendment Bill, former Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate and 2027 hopeful, Peter Obi, on Monday led a massive demonstration to the National Assembly Complex in Abuja. Accompanied by prominent activist Aisha Yesufu, members of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), and the Obidient Movement, Obi arrived at the parliamentary entrance to demand the mandatory real-time electronic transmission of election results from polling units.

The protesters, including various student and civil society groups, stormed the area just as lawmakers resumed deliberations on the contentious bill. The atmosphere remained charged as demonstrator’s chanted solidarity songs, calling on the Senate to reverse its reported rejection of mandatory digital result uploads. Addressing the crowd and security officials at the gates, Obi challenged the rationale behind the Senate’s hesitation to codify electronic transmission.

The protest comes amidst a heated national debate, with the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and other stakeholders recently urging the National Assembly to remove “discretionary phrasing” from the law that allows INEC to decide how results are moved.

Security was beefed up around the Three Arms Zone to prevent a breach of the legislative building. A combined team of the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and other paramilitary agencies stationed patrol vans at strategic locations to maintain order.

Despite the heavy security presence, the protest remained largely peaceful, though it effectively halted traffic and official movement into the complex for several hours.As of the time of filing this report, no principal officer of the National Assembly had come out to address the protesters, who vowed to remain at the gates until their demands for a “statutory compulsion” of electronic results were acknowledged.

Not only that, all gates leading to the National Assembly have been shut to prevent the protesters from entering the National Assembly.

Peter Obi, Aisha Yesufu Storm NASS, Demand Electronic Result Transmission

In a significant escalation of the tension surrounding the proposed Electoral Act Amendment Bill, former Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate and 2027 hopeful, Peter Obi, on Monday led a massive demonstration to the National Assembly Complex in Abuja. Accompanied by prominent activist Aisha Yesufu, members of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), and the Obidient Movement, Obi arrived at the parliamentary entrance to demand the mandatory real-time electronic transmission of election results from polling units.

The protesters, including various student and civil society groups, stormed the area just as lawmakers resumed deliberations on the contentious bill. The atmosphere remained charged as demonstrator’s chanted solidarity songs, calling on the Senate to reverse its reported rejection of mandatory digital result uploads. Addressing the crowd and security officials at the gates, Obi challenged the rationale behind the Senate’s hesitation to codify electronic transmission.

The protest comes amidst a heated national debate, with the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and other stakeholders recently urging the National Assembly to remove “discretionary phrasing” from the law that allows INEC to decide how results are moved.

Security was beefed up around the Three Arms Zone to prevent a breach of the legislative building. A combined team of the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and other paramilitary agencies stationed patrol vans at strategic locations to maintain order.

Despite the heavy security presence, the protest remained largely peaceful, though it effectively halted traffic and official movement into the complex for several hours.As of the time of filing this report, no principal officer of the National Assembly had come out to address the protesters, who vowed to remain at the gates until their demands for a “statutory compulsion” of electronic results were acknowledged.

Not only that, all gates leading to the National Assembly have been shut to prevent the protesters from entering the National Assembly.