Protesters on Monday returned to the National Assembly, demanding that real-time electronic transmission of election results be made mandatory in the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, 2026.
The demonstrators, comprising civil society organisations including Situation Room and Action Aid, insisted that manual collation be completely eliminated to prevent manipulation during the collation of results.
Security operatives barricaded entrances to the National Assembly complex, forcing the protesters to stage their demonstration outside the main gates.
The protest followed a five-day break from the Assembly after assurances given during last Tuesday’s plenary.
The demonstrators maintained that there was no justification for retaining manual backups, arguing that the election budget already makes provision for technological infrastructure.
Insisting on full transparency, the protesters called for mandatory real-time electronic transmission of results from polling units to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s Result Viewing Portal.
They argued that allowing manual collation as a fallback option could create loopholes for manipulation.
The agitation comes in the wake of the Senate’s emergency plenary last Tuesday, convened to revisit its earlier decision on Clause 60(3) of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill.
During the session, Senate Chief Whip, Senator Tahir Monguno (APC, Borno North), moved to remove the phrase “real-time” and replace “transmission” with “transfer.”
The proposal triggered heated objections from some lawmakers, including Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe (APGA, Abia South), who repeatedly raised points of order on the floor.
At the end of deliberations, the Senate approved electronic transmission of results to INEC’s portal but retained manual collation as a backup in the event of technical failure.
The Senate is scheduled to reconvene on Tuesday, February 17, at 11 a.m., to take further decisions on national issues, including matters relating to the Electoral Act amendment.
Meanwhile, the protesters vowed to sustain pressure on lawmakers until full, mandatory real-time electronic transmission of election results is guaranteed.
