Headlines: Occupy National Assembly Protest Begins In Abuja Over E-Transmission Of Election Results
The protest is against the backdrop of the Senate’s position on the electronic transmission of election results.
Protesters on Monday converged on the entrance of the National Assembly in Abuja for the “Occupy National Assembly” protest.
The protest is against the backdrop of the Senate’s position on the electronic transmission of election results.
There was a heavy security presence at the scene, with personnel drawn from the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigerian Army, and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.
Although the Senate has issued several clarifications over reports that it rejected electronic transmission of results, the protesters insist that lawmakers must be explicit by including the phrase “real-time electronic transmission” in the proposed legislation.
Members of civil society organisations, a handful of opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC) members, and some women’s groups are gathered at the entrance of the National Assembly for the protest.
The police barricaded the entrance to the National Assembly.
Some members of the civil society groups, who spoke to Channels Television, disclosed that the protesters do not intend to enter the National Assembly premises, as the protest is expected to take place mainly at the entrance.
The protesters began their march from the Federal Secretariat, heading towards the National Assembly gate.
The 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, joined the Occupy National Assembly protest.
Obi, who is now a member of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), said the Senate must prevent the kind of glitches that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) reported in 2023, and make real-time electronic transmission of results mandatory.
Protest
Electoral Bill passage
There has been an outrage after the Senate last week passed the Electoral Act 2022 (Repeal and Reenactment) Amendment Bill 2026 through the third reading.
In passing the bill, the upper chamber, however, did not approve the proposed amendment to Clause 60, Subsection 3, of the bill, which sought to make the electronic transmission of election results mandatory.
The rejected provision would have required presiding officers of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to electronically transmit results from each polling unit to the IREV portal in real time, after the prescribed Form EC&A had been signed and stamped by the presiding officer and countersigned by candidates.
Instead, the Senate adopted the existing provision of the Electoral Act, which states that “the presiding officer shall transfer the results, including the total number of accredited voters and the results of the ballot, in a manner as prescribed by the Commission.”
‘We didn’t reject electronic transmission’
Following the reactions that trailed the Senate’s passage of the Electoral Act 2022 (Repeal and Reenactment) Amendment Bill 2026 through the third reading, the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio has explained the upper chamber’s position.
According to Akpabio, the Senate did not reject the electronic transmission of election results but merely retained the provision as contained in the 2022 Electoral Act.
Speaking at a book launch at the weekend, the Senate President explained that electronic transmission of results remains permissible, but the phrase “real time” was removed from the provision.
“All we said during discussion was that we should remove the word ‘real-time’ because if you say real-time, then there is a network or grid failure and the network is not working. When you go to court, somebody will say it ought to have been real-time. That was all we said,” he said.
He emphasised that the decision was taken to grant the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) the flexibility to determine the appropriate mode of result transmission, taking into account technological and security challenges.
‘Don’t decide for INEC’
Reacting to Akpabio’s position, former Senate President David Mark said the National Assembly should allow the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to decide whether or not to transmit election results electronically.
He added that the African Democratic Congress (ADC) fully supports the electronic transmission of election results.
Meanwhile, the Senate on Sunday announced that it will hold an emergency plenary session on Tuesday, February 10, 2026.
In a notice sent by the Clerk of the Senate, Emmanuel Odo, the lawmakers were directed to convene at the National Assembly complex on the instruction of Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
Odo urged all senators to attend the emergency sitting.
No reason was given for the meeting, but it comes amid ongoing debates over the electronic transmission of election results, following the Senate’s third reading of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill. Lawmakers had adjourned plenary afterward.
