A prominent figure in the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Peter Obi, on Monday joined protesters at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja over the Senate’s rejection of mandatory electronic transmission of election results.
The protesters had earlier stormed the National Assembly to register their displeasure with the Senate’s decision, calling for reforms to strengthen transparency and credibility in the electoral process.
Addressing the crowd at the protest ground, Obi criticised the Senate’s stance on electronic transmission of results and urged lawmakers to remove all restrictions that could undermine a free, fair, and credible electoral process.
Obi said, “Allow the election to go through the normal process. Whatever the outcome is, we will accept it. Why introduce confusion after the process?”
The protest, tagged ‘Occupy National Assembly’, saw Nigerian youths and pro-democracy activists converging at the entrance of the National Assembly to express opposition to the Senate’s rejection of e-transmission of election results.
The protest drew a heavy security presence, with operatives from the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigerian Army, and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) deployed around the National Assembly to maintain order.
Protesters called on the National Assembly to reconsider its stance on the e-transmission clause of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, insisting that electronic transmission of results is crucial to ensuring transparency, credibility, and public confidence in Nigeria’s electoral process.
As of the time of filing this report, the demonstration remained peaceful, with security agencies closely monitoring activities within and around the National Assembly complex.
