By Nchetachi Chukwuajah
Protesters have returned to the National Assembly, demanding that mandatory real-time electronic transmission of election results be included in the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, 2026.
The protesters, who besieged the gates of the National Assembly on Monday, February 16, include civil society groups like Situation Room and Action Aid.
They insisted that manual collation be eliminated to prevent manipulation during the collation of results.
The protest comes after a five-day break from the National Assembly, following assurances from the last Tuesday sitting.
Security operatives reportedly barricaded the entrances to the complex, forcing the crowd to hold their demonstration outside the gates.
The demonstrators insisted on full transparency and mandatory real-time e-transmission, arguing that there is no justification for manual backups since the election budget already covers technological requirements.
The Senate reconvened for an emergency plenary last Tuesday to revisit its earlier decision on Clause 60(3) of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill. Senate Chief Whip, Senator Tahir Monguno (APC, Borno North), moved to remove the phrase “real-time” and replaced “transmission” with “transfer.”
This action sparked heated objections from other senators, including Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe (APGA, Abia South), who repeatedly raised points of order.
At the end of deliberations, the Senate approved electronic transmission to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) Result Viewing Portal (IReV) but allowed manual collation as a backup in case of technical failures.
The Senate is scheduled to reconvene on Tuesday, February 17, at 11 a.m. to make further decisions on national issues.
However, the protesters vowed to continue pressing lawmakers until full real-time transmission is guaranteed.
