Former presidential candidate Peter Obi on Monday led a large group of protesters to the National Assembly Complex in Abuja, demanding that lawmakers include real-time electronic transmission of election results in the ongoing Electoral Act Amendment Bill, ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The demonstration, organised under the banner of the Occupy National Assembly movement, drew civil society groups, members of the Obidient Movement, the African Democratic Congress (ADC), and other pro-democracy activists to the entrance of the parliamentary complex.
Speaking to the crowd, Obi thanked Nigerians for turning out in large numbers and described the protest as a peaceful but firm demand for electoral reform and greater transparency. He emphasised the need for election results to be transmitted electronically directly from polling units so citizens can monitor outcomes in real time and reduce opportunities for manipulation.
“We don’t want another glitch,” Obi said, referring to challenges in Nigeria’s past elections that raised doubts about credibility. “Simple transmission — it’s not a difficult thing. Allow the election to go through a transparent process.”
Security was heightened around the National Assembly complex, with officers from the Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Army, Department of State Services (DSS), and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) deployed to maintain order as protesters gathered at the gate.
Organisers said the protest was not an attempt to breach the Assembly but a peaceful call for lawmakers to explicitly enshrine real-time electronic transmission of results in law. Many protesters carried placards with messages demanding credible elections and accountability in the electoral process.
Obi criticised the Senate’s decision during the amendment process to remove or dilute references to mandatory real-time electronic transmission, which has been a central demand of reform advocates and civil society groups.
The protest signals rising pressure on the National Assembly from political and civil society stakeholders to ensure that election reforms ahead of the 2027 polls prioritise transparency, public confidence, and modernised systems for collating and reporting election results.