• Peter Obi address the protesters

Protesters on Monday besieged the entrance of the National Assembly Complex in Abuja, insisting that electronic transmission of results is critical to strengthening trust in Nigeria’s elections.

The protest, tagged ‘Occupy National Assembly’, follows the Senate’s recent passage of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, during which the lawmakers rejected a proposal to make electronic transmission of results mandatory, a decision that has continued to attract criticism from civil society groups and opposition figures across the country.

The protest, organised by Nigerian youths, pro-democracy activists and civil society groups, was joined by Peter Obi, former governor of Anambra State and presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 election ( and now in the African Democratic Congress (ADC) party.

Obi faulted the Senate’s decision and urged lawmakers to allow the electoral process to run without restrictions.

“Allow the election to go through the normal process. Whatever the outcome is, we will accept it. Why introduce confusion after the process?” he said.

Obi emphasised that the rejection of electronic transmission of results by the Senate undermines public confidence in the electoral process and raises concerns about transparency and credibility ahead of future elections.

The protesters called on the National Assembly to reconsider the clause in the interest of democratic integrity.

Participants at the demonstration included members of civil society organisations, women’s groups and a handful of members of the opposition , who converged at the main entrance of the National Assembly early on Monday morning.

A former member of the Abia State House of Assembly, representing Ukwa East Constituency, Chief Paul Taribo, along with Mrs Theresa Oxford Nwabara and their supporters numbering over 100, have defected to the Labour Party in the state.

Chief Taribo, who was until recently a prominent chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, said that his decision to join the Labour Party was motivated by Governor Alex Otti’s achievements and his desire to contribute to the Governor’s re-election in 2027.

The former APC chieftain pledged his loyalty and commitment to the Labour Party, assuring members of his readiness to work to deepen the party’s presence and influence in Ikwueke East Ward and Ukwa East council Area.

The former APC chieftain pledged his loyalty and commitment to the Labour Party, assuring members of his readiness to work to deepen the party’s presence and influence in Ikwueke East Ward and Ukwa East council Area.

Chief Taribo expressed his confidence in Otti’s leadership style, vision, and developmental agenda, as well as that of the Chairman of Ukwa East council, Hon. Chibunna Akara.

He said; “I left my former party , the APC, to join the Labour Party, because I m motivated by the visible achievements of Governor Alex Otti and the desire to contribute to his re-election.

These are the major factors that informed my decision to align with the Labour Party.

”In his remarks, Chairman of Ukwa East LGA, Hon. Chibunna Akara described the ex-lawmaker as a valuable addition to the party, stressing that the Labour Party remains a broad, inclusive platform that welcomes all well-meaning individuals committed to service and development, regardless of their political background.

• Lecky

A former National Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mustapha Lecky has stated that Nigeria is not technically prepared for mandatory real-time electronic transmission of election results from polling units.

In a public statement, Lecky argued that the current push for instantaneous uploads is misplaced given the country’s continued reliance on manual voting with paper ballots rather than electronic voting.

“It doesn’t really make sense to me that we should be talking about instantaneous transmission of results live as it is happening from the polling area,” Lecky said.

He emphasized that results must first be manually counted and verified at polling units in the presence of party agents before any transmission can occur.

The EC8A form, signed by party agents, remains the critical legal document in the process.

According to Lecky, existing tools such as INEC’s Result Viewing Portal (IReV) and the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) already provide adequate transparency when properly implemented.

Lecky stressed that Nigeria lacks the nationwide infrastructure—particularly reliable mobile network coverage in many rural polling units—necessary to support real-time electronic transmission without risking widespread failures or cyber vulnerabilities.