Demonstrators on Monday besieged the National Assembly, pressing for the inclusion of mandatory real-time electronic transmission of election results in the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, 2026.
The protesters, comprising civil society organisations such as Situation Room and Action Aid, called for the total elimination of manual collation, which they argued creates opportunities for results manipulation.
Monday’s demonstration marked the resumption of agitation after a five-day pause, following assurances given by lawmakers at last Tuesday’s sitting.
Security personnel barricaded entry points to the legislative complex, forcing the crowd to stage their protest outside the gates.
The agitators insisted on complete transparency and compulsory real-time electronic transmission, arguing that manual alternatives were unnecessary since the election budget had already made provisions for technology.
The renewed protest follows the Senate’s emergency plenary last Tuesday, during which lawmakers revisited their earlier position on Clause 60(3) of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill.
Senate Chief Whip, Senator Tahir Monguno, representing Borno North on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, had moved a motion to delete the phrase “real-time” and substitute “transmission” with “transfer.”
The move triggered fierce resistance from some senators, including Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, representing Abia South, who raised multiple points of order in protest.
After extensive debate, the Senate approved electronic transmission of results to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s Result Viewing Portal but retained manual collation as a fallback option in the event of technical glitches.
The Senate is billed to reconvene on Tuesday, February 17, at 11 a.m., for further deliberations on national matters.
The protesters, however, vowed to sustain pressure on lawmakers until full real-time transmission of results is guaranteed without manual alternatives.
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