Sunday Aborisade in Abuja
Former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi, on Monday took the battle for credible elections straight to the gates of the National Assembly, joining hundreds of protesters in a dramatic show of defiance against what demonstrators described as a fresh attempt to rig the 2027 elections through the backdoor.
The protest, branded ‘Occupy the National Assembly,’ was triggered by the Senate’s controversial decision to delete the phrase “real-time” from provisions on electronic transmission of election results in the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, a move critics insist fatally weakens safeguards against post-election manipulation.
Obi’s sudden appearance electrified the crowd as demonstrators, drawn largely from the Obidient Movement, civil society organisations and pro-democracy groups, besieged the National Assembly complex, chanting protest songs and brandishing placards reading ‘Our Votes Must Count’, ‘No to Electoral Robbery’, and ‘Protect Democracy Now’.
Security operatives from the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigerian Army and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps mounted a heavy barricade at the complex, preventing the protesters from gaining access and forcing them to stage their demonstration outside the main gates.
Addressing journalists amid the charged atmosphere, Obi warned that Nigeria was sliding dangerously backwards, accusing the political elite of nurturing “electoral criminality” that threatens national stability.
“We must dismantle this criminality and prove that Nigeria can still show light in Africa,” Obi declared, stressing that credible elections remain the bedrock of development, unity and peace.
Last week, the Senate passed the Electoral Act 2022 (Repeal and Re-enactment) Amendment Bill, 2026, but controversy erupted over the removal of the words “real-time electronic transmission” from key clauses.
Although the Senate has since insisted it did not reject electronic transmission entirely, protesters argue that the ambiguity creates fertile ground for manipulation during result collation.
Obi’s presence at the protest further energised supporters who see him as the enduring symbol of the youth-led political awakening of 2023 that disrupted Nigeria’s traditional political order.
The National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement Worldwide, Dr. Yunusa Tanko, vowed that the protests would continue until the National Assembly explicitly restores real-time electronic transmission of results in the law.
“If there is no electronic transmission of results, there will be no election,” Tanko warned. “Our elections must be credible.”
He recalled that past elections were plagued by manual interference, a flaw electoral technology was designed to eliminate following reforms after the deeply flawed 2007 polls.
While innovations such as card readers in 2015 and the BVAS in 2022 improved transparency, activists insist that real-time transmission remains the missing link.
Popular activist, Randy Peters, also accused the political class of betraying democratic ideals, invoking the spirit of the June 12, 1993 election, widely regarded as Nigeria’s freest and fairest.
“Do we have democrats who are afraid of losing elections?” Peters asked. “In 2027, our votes must count. Tomorrow, we will be back here.”
Earlier, tension had enveloped the National Assembly as protesters massed at the entrance under tight security, following a call to action by human rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, who urged Nigerians to resist what he described as a calculated attempt to compromise future elections.
As of the time of filing this report, security remained tight around the National Assembly, while protesters vowed to sustain pressure until the demand for unambiguous, real-time electronic transmission of results is clearly enshrined in law.
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