The Protesters insisted on full transparency and mandatory real-time transmission, arguing that there is no justification for manual backups
By Kehinde Okeowo
Protesters, after a five-day break, returned to the National Assembly on Monday to demand that the real-time electronic transmission of election results be made mandatory in the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, 2026.
The demonstrators, who included civil society groups, argued that manual collation should be completely eliminated to prevent manipulation during the process.
They 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.
Security operatives reportedly barricaded the entrances to the complex, forcing the crowd to hold their demonstration outside the gates.
This comes as the Senate is scheduled to reconvene on Tuesday, 17 February, at 11 a.m. to make further decisions on national issues.
Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Nigeria had earlier called on the joint conference committee, set up by the Senate and House of Representatives, to adopt the lower chamber’s position on electoral transmission when it meets on Monday.
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The recommendations of the committee are expected to guide the Senate when they meet on Tuesday.
Recall that 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 INEC’s Result Viewing Portal but allowed manual collation as a backup in case of technical failures.
However, the protesters vowed to continue pressing lawmakers until full real-time transmission is guaranteed.
