Peter Obi on Monday joined protesters at the National Assembly in Abuja, demanding explicit inclusion of real-time electronic transmission of election results in Nigeria’s electoral law.
The demonstration followed the Senate’s passage of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2026, which removed the phrase “real-time” from provisions on electronic result transmission.
Although senators later clarified their position, protesters argued the amendment weakens transparency and could undermine public confidence in future elections.
Obi, the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate and now an ADC member, said lawmakers must prevent technical failures similar to those reported by INEC during the 2023 polls.
He urged the Senate to make real-time electronic transmission compulsory to safeguard electoral credibility and strengthen democratic accountability.
Civil society organisations, women’s groups, and a small number of opposition party members participated in the protest.
The demonstrators marched from the Federal Secretariat toward the National Assembly gates, chanting slogans in support of electoral transparency.
Security agencies, including police, soldiers, and civil defence personnel, were heavily deployed around the complex.
Police barricaded the main entrance to the National Assembly as the protest gathered momentum.
The organisers said the demonstration would remain peaceful and limited to the Assembly’s entrance, with no plan to enter the premises.
