Protest On New Electoral Act Resumes On Day 2 As Amaechi Joins Activists

The #OccupyNASS protest resumed for the second day on Tuesday at the National Assembly in Abuja, as former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, joined activists demanding amendments to the Electoral Act, including mandatory real-time electronic transmission of election results ahead of the 2027 general election.

The protest was met with a heavy police presence, with security operatives barricading the entrance to the National Assembly complex and preventing demonstrators from delivering their demands.

As protesters were blocked, they chanted in unison, “How many people police go kill o, how many people police go kill,” highlighting their frustration at what they described as excessive force and intimidation by the police.

Meanwhile, at the protest venue, Amaechi spoke about governance, corruption, and his reasons for leaving the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

“Is life easier now than when I was in the APC? Life is worse now than during the former President Buhari regime,” Amaechi said.

“Even though we were planning to remove the subsidy, we had better plans. The corruption here is too much. They are stealing — I heard there’s a 16 billion dollar road project awarded without due process. I left APC already and they will not win,” he added.

Addressing the crowd amid the standoff, rights activist Aisha Yesufu criticised the police for prioritising the suppression of peaceful citizens over national security.

“Nigerian police, una no dey shame?” Yesufu said.

“They sending you to come and fight innocent citizens who want their voices to be heard, when there are terrorists to kill, shame no dey catch una? During kidnapping, they won’t see you people.”

She also accused the police of being complicit in systemic oppression, saying, “When we bind and cast and pray against enemies of this country, we would have to include police that have made themselves a tool of oppression against the people.”

Highlighting the moral contradiction of police officers involved in suppressing protests, Yesufu added, “If you are a police man or a police woman and you’re praying against Satan, please yourself.”

LEADERSHIP recalls that earlier on Monday, former presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) and ADC chieftain, Peter Obi, joined the demonstrators, lending his support to calls for electoral reforms and urging lawmakers to adopt real-time electronic transmission of election results in the new law.