Civil society groups gather at the National Assembly, urging lawmakers to ensure real-time electronic transmission of election results in the Electoral Act amendment.
Protesters from several civil society organisations gathered at the National Assembly on Monday, demanding the passage of the Electoral Act Twenty Twenty-Two Amendment Bill Twenty Twenty-Five, with clear provisions for the electronic and real-time transmission of election results.
The demonstration, coordinated by the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room, saw participants chant slogans and express dissatisfaction with lawmakers over the handling of the bill in both chambers of the National Assembly.
Some representative of the coalition while addressing the crawd, warned that the group would demand the resignation of the Senate leadership if the relevant section of the amendment bill is not passed.
Although the Senate has issued clarifications over reports that it rejected electronic transmission of results, the protesters insist lawmakers must be explicit by including the phrase real-time electronic transmission in the proposed legislation.
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The protesters carried placards with inscriptions such as: “Akpabio don’t destroy our democracy,” “Say no to electoral fraud,” “Akpabio don’t dare the masses,” “stop betrayal of the ballot,” “The Senate must prioritise citizens over politics,” “The conference committee must protest the integrity of Nigeria’s electronic.”
In recent days, Nigerians have engaged in intense debate over amendments to the Electoral Act, passed by the Senate last Wednesday.
While several provisions of the law were revised, public attention has centered on a particularly controversial clause, the Senate’s rejection of the electronic transmission of election results from polling units to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s Result Viewing Portal (IREV).
Public opinion remains sharply divided. However, numerous political parties, politicians, and social media users have condemned the amendments, urging lawmakers to reconsider the changes.
Mrs Yesufu, on her part, called for the impeachment of Mr Akpabio if the Senate under his leadership refuses to make electronic transmission of election results mandatory.
“The fact that he’s the senate president only added responsibility. Impeach him if he does not want to do what the people want, that’s all,” she said.
While many Nigerians have called on lawmakers to make real-time electronic transmission compulsory, some legislators have argued that the provision should remain discretionary, citing logistical and infrastructural concerns.
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