Again, Protesters Besiege National Assembly Over Electoral Act Amendment

For the second time in two weeks, protesters have converged on the National Assembly in Abuja, demanding the inclusion of mandatory real-time electronic transmission of election results in the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, 2026.

The demonstrators, drawn from civil society organisations, including the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room, ActionAid Nigeria and the Movement for the Transformation of Nigeria (MOTION), called for the elimination of manual collation of results.

They argued that it creates opportunities for manipulation during the collation process.

Security operatives barricaded entrances to the National Assembly Complex, forcing the protesters to stage their demonstration outside the gates.

The protest came after lawmakers resumed from a five-day recess, during which assurances had reportedly been given at plenary the previous Tuesday.

The coalition criticised the Senate’s version of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill 2025, describing it as weakened and a departure from earlier agreements reached through stakeholders’ consultations.

According to the groups, the amendments could undermine the credibility of the 2027 General Elections.

Addressing members of the Joint National Assembly Conference (Harmonisation) Committee, the protesters expressed concern over the removal of provisions mandating real-time electronic transmission of results from polling units to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s Result Viewing Portal (IReV).

They argued that compulsory electronic transmission is vital for strengthening transparency, reducing electoral malpractice, and restoring public trust. Making the process conditional on technical challenges, they said, reopens vulnerabilities that previous reforms were designed to close.

Citing the 2023 general elections, the groups noted that the absence of mandatory real-time transmission contributed to disputes, prolonged litigation, and widespread dissatisfaction with the poll outcome.

They urged the harmonisation committee to adopt the House of Representatives’ position, which retains real-time electronic transmission.

The protesters also faulted the proposed reduction of the Notice of Elections timeline. While the Electoral Act 2022 provides for a 360-day notice period, the Senate reduced it to 180 days, and the House proposed 300 days.

According to the coalition, the 360-day timeframe allows the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) sufficient time for voter registration, logistics planning, procurement, voter education, and the training and deployment of ad-hoc staff.

They warned that shortening the timeline could disrupt party primaries, heighten pre-election disputes, and strain electoral preparations.

The civil society organisations stressed that although the Conference (Harmonisation) Committee is a legitimate legislative process, it should not serve as a means to dilute key electoral safeguards that have already been achieved.

The Senate had earlier reconvened in an emergency plenary to reconsider Clause 60(3) of the bill. During deliberations, Senate Chief Whip Tahir Monguno (APC, Borno North) moved a motion to delete the term “real-time” and replace “transmission” with “transfer.”

The proposal generated heated debate, with Enyinnaya Abaribe (APGA, Abia South) raising repeated points of order in opposition.

At the conclusion of deliberations, the Senate approved electronic transmission of results to INEC’s Result Viewing Portal but retained manual collation as a fallback option in the event of technical failure.

Despite this development, the protesters vowed to continue mounting pressure on the lawmakers until mandatory real-time electronic transmission is clearly enshrined in the law.

They maintained that, given existing budgetary allocations for election technology, reliance on manual collation is unjustifiable.

The Senate is scheduled to resume plenary today at 11 a.m. for further legislative business.