Civil society groups, opposition party members, and
women’s organisations on Monday staged a protest at the National Assembly over
the Senate’s stance on electronic transmission of election results.
The protest, which took place at the entrance of the
National Assembly complex, was met with heavy security deployment involving
personnel from the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigerian Army, and the Nigeria
Security and Civil Defence Corps. Security operatives barricaded access to the
complex as demonstrators gathered outside the gates.
The protesters insist that the Senate must clearly
include the phrase “real-time electronic transmission” in the proposed
amendment to the Electoral Act, despite several clarifications by lawmakers
that electronic transmission was not rejected.
According to some of the demonstrators who spoke to
Channels Television, the protest was designed to remain peaceful and confined
to the entrance of the National Assembly, with no intention of gaining access
into the premises. The march began at the Federal Secretariat before proceeding
to the National Assembly gate.
Members of civil society organisations, a small number
of African Democratic Congress (ADC) members, and women’s groups were present
at the rally.
Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi,
who recently joined the ADC, also participated in the protest. Obi said the
Senate must act decisively to prevent a repeat of the technical glitches
reported by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) during the
2023 general elections.
According to him, making real-time electronic
transmission mandatory would strengthen transparency and restore public
confidence in the electoral process.
The protest follows public outrage over the Senate’s
passage of the Electoral Act 2022 (Repeal and Re-enactment) Amendment Bill 2026
through third reading last week.
During the process, the Senate rejected a proposed
amendment to Clause 60(3) that sought to compel INEC presiding officers to
transmit polling unit results electronically to the IReV portal in real time
after result forms had been signed and stamped.
Instead, lawmakers retained the existing provision of
the 2022 Electoral Act, which allows results to be transmitted “in a manner as
prescribed by the Commission,” leaving the decision to INEC’s discretion.
Following widespread criticism, Senate President
Godswill Akpabio clarified that the Senate did not scrap electronic
transmission of results but only removed the phrase “real time.” Speaking at a
book launch, Akpabio said the decision was meant to avoid legal complications
arising from possible network failures.
He explained that the amendment allows INEC
flexibility to determine the most appropriate transmission method based on
technological and security realities.
Reacting to the controversy, former Senate President
David Mark said the National Assembly should not impose technical decisions on
INEC, stressing that the ADC supports electronic transmission of election
results while allowing the electoral body to decide how best to implement it.
Meanwhile, the Senate has announced plans to hold an
emergency plenary session on Tuesday, February 10, 2026.
In a notice issued by the Clerk of the Senate,
Emmanuel Odo, lawmakers were directed to reconvene at the National Assembly
complex on the instruction of Senate President Godswill Akpabio. No official
reason was given for the meeting, but it is widely believed to be connected to
the ongoing debate surrounding electronic transmission of election results.
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