Peter Obi, Other Protesters Storm NASS Over E-Transmission of Election Results

A wave of protests has begun in Abuja as Nigerian youths and civil society groups mobilise against the Senate’s rejection of compulsory electronic transmission of election results.

Demonstrators, operating under the banner “Occupy National Assembly,” converged in the federal capital to express their opposition to the Senate’s stance on the Electoral Amendment Bill, particularly its decision to discard provisions mandating e-transmission of results.

Security agencies were placed on high alert as the protest gathered momentum.

Personnel from the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigerian Army and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps were deployed in large numbers around key government locations, including the National Assembly complex.

Reports from TVC News indicate that the protest attracted a broad coalition of civil society organisations, youth groups and persons with disabilities, all united in demanding a transparent and technology-driven electoral process.

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The protesters insist that wholesale electronic transmission of election results is critical to curbing electoral malpractice and strengthening public confidence in elections.

Former Anambra State governor and presidential aspirant, Peter Obi, was also present at the protest, leading a group of demonstrators in a march toward the National Assembly to demand changes to the proposed Electoral Act.

However, access to the legislature was blocked as security operatives shut the National Assembly gates, preventing Obi and other protesters from entering the premises.

The protest follows the Senate’s reported decision on Wednesday to reject an amendment to Clause 60, sub-section 3 of the Electoral Amendment Bill, which sought to make electronic transmission of election results mandatory.

As of the time of filing this report, protesters had commenced a march from the Federal Secretariat, proceeding toward the National Assembly in defiance of tight security restrictions.