By Ayo Ayodele
Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, on Monday led supporters and pro-democracy activists in a protest at the National Assembly,
declaring that Nigerians would no longer entertain glitches in the next general election.
Obi spoke on Monday when he led his supporters and other civil society organisations to the National Assembly to demand passage of real-time transmission of election results from polling units to IRev in the ongoing amendment of the Electoral Act 2022 by the National Assembly.
The protest, tagged “Occupy the National Assembly,” drew hundreds of members of the Obidient Movement and civil society groups, who described the removal of the phrase “real-time” as a threat to electoral transparency ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Last week, the Senate passed the Electoral Act 2022 (Repeal and Re-enactment) Amendment Bill, 2026. Critics argue that deleting “real-time” from provisions on electronic transmission of results could weaken safeguards against election manipulation, despite lawmakers’ assurances that electronic transmission itself was not removed.
Carrying placards reading “Our votes must count,” “No to electoral robbery,” and “Defend democracy,” the protesters marched from the Federal Secretariat to the National Assembly complex. They were stopped at the main gate by security operatives from the police, army, and civil defence corps.
Addressing journalists outside the complex, Obi warned against what he described as the gradual erosion of democratic institutions, stressing that credible elections are essential to national stability and development.
“We must dismantle this criminality and prove that Nigeria can be a beacon of hope and light in Africa,” he said.
National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement Worldwide, Dr Yunusa Tanko, said the agitation would continue until lawmakers clearly reinstate real-time electronic transmission of results in the amended law.
“If there is no electronic transmission of results, there will be no election. Our elections must be credible,” Tanko said.
Another activist, Randy Peters, accused the political class of betraying democratic ideals and vowed sustained protests until the Senate reverses the decision.
“The struggle for June 12 was about free and fair elections. In 2027, our votes must count,” he said.