The Obidient Movement has criticised the Nigerian Senate over its decision to reject the inclusion of mandatory real-time electronic transmission of election results in the recent amendment of the Electoral Act.
In a statement released on Friday, the National Coordinator of the movement, Yunusa Tanko, described the Senate’s decision to retain provisions for manual collation of results as a serious threat to Nigeria’s democratic process. He said the move encourages secrecy and undermines transparency in elections.
Tanko warned that the decision could open the door to widespread manipulation ahead of the 2027 general elections, noting that similar loopholes contributed to controversies during the 2023 polls. He recalled the failure to upload polling unit results to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) portal at the time, which was attributed to technical glitches, arguing that the Senate’s latest position appeared designed to preserve those same weaknesses.
According to him, rejecting mandatory real-time transmission of results amounts to electoral sabotage, as it weakens public confidence in the electoral system and sustains practices that previously eroded trust in the democratic process.
Tanko also accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), which holds a majority in the National Assembly, of applying double standards. He noted that while the party relies on electronic systems for its internal primaries, it has refused to extend similar transparency to national elections.
He announced that the Obidient Movement would organise a peaceful mass protest at the National Assembly, calling on lawmakers to urgently reconvene and pass legislation making real-time transmission of polling unit results to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal compulsory.
Tanko added that details of the planned protest would be communicated through the movement’s official channels. He further called on Nigerians at home and abroad, civil society organisations, and the international community to resist what he described as a dangerous regression in Nigeria’s democratic standards.
