BREAKING: ‘OCCUPY NATIONAL ASSEMBLY’ PROTEST HITS ABUJA OVER E-TRANSMISSION OF ELECTION RESULTS (PHOTOS)
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By: Sefiu Ajape
Protesters on Monday gathered at the entrance of the National Assembly in Abuja for the “Occupy National Assembly” protest.
The demonstration comes against the backdrop of the Senate’s stance on the electronic transmission of election results.
A heavy security presence was deployed at the scene, with personnel drawn from the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigerian Army, and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.
Although the Senate has issued several clarifications over reports that it rejected electronic transmission of results, the protesters insist that lawmakers must be explicit by including the phrase “real-time electronic transmission” in the proposed legislation.
Members of civil society organisations, a handful of opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC) members, and some women’s groups have gathered at the entrance of the National Assembly for the protest.
The police have already barricaded the entrance to the National Assembly.
Some members of the civil society groups, speaking to our correspondent, disclosed that the protesters do not intend to enter the National Assembly premises, as the protest is expected to take place mainly at the entrance.
The demonstrators have begun their march from the Federal Secretariat, heading towards the National Assembly gate.
Electoral Bill Passage
There has been outrage after the Senate last week passed the Electoral Act 2022 (Repeal and Reenactment) Amendment Bill 2026 through third reading.
In passing the bill, however, the upper chamber did not approve the proposed amendment to Clause 60, Subsection 3, which sought to make the electronic transmission of election results mandatory.
The rejected provision would have required presiding officers of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to electronically transmit results from each polling unit to the IREV portal in real time, after the prescribed Form EC&A had been signed and stamped by the presiding officer and countersigned by candidates.
Instead, the Senate adopted the existing provision of the Electoral Act, which states that “the presiding officer shall transfer the results, including the total number of accredited voters and the results of the ballot, in a manner as prescribed by the Commission.”
‘We didn’t reject electronic transmission’
Following reactions to the Senate’s passage of the Electoral Act 2022 (Repeal and Reenactment) Amendment Bill 2026, Senate President Godswill Akpabio explained the upper chamber’s position.
According to Akpabio, the Senate did not reject the electronic transmission of election results but merely retained the provision as contained in the 2022 Electoral Act.
Speaking at a book launch over the weekend, the Senate President explained that electronic transmission of results remains permissible, but the phrase “real time” was removed from the provision.
“All we said during discussion was that we should remove the word ‘real-time’ because if you say real-time, then there is a network or grid failure and the network is not working. When you go to court, somebody will say it ought to have been real-time. That was all we said,” he said.
He emphasised that the decision was taken to grant the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) the flexibility to determine the appropriate mode of result transmission, taking into account technological and security challenges.
‘Don’t decide for INEC’
Reacting to Akpabio’s position, former Senate President David Mark said the National Assembly should allow the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to decide whether or not to transmit election results electronically.
He added that the African Democratic Congress (ADC) fully supports the electronic transmission of election results.
Emergency Plenary
Meanwhile, the Senate on Sunday announced that it will hold an emergency plenary session on Tuesday, February 10, 2026.
In a notice sent by the Clerk of the Senate, Emmanuel Odo, the lawmakers were directed to convene at the National Assembly complex on the instruction of Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
Odo urged all senators to attend the emergency sitting.
No reason was given for the meeting, but it comes amid ongoing debates over the electronic transmission of election results, following the Senate’s third reading of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill. Lawmakers had adjourned plenary afterward.
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