Former Rivers State Governor and ex-Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, on Tuesday joined demonstrators at the gates of the National Assembly in Abuja, lending significant political weight to the growing protests against the Senate’s controversial stance on electoral reforms.
The protest, now in its second day, saw Amaechi marching alongside supporters demanding the mandatory real-time electronic transmission of election results from polling units to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) IReV portal.
The demonstrations followed the Senate’s passage of the Electoral Act 2022 (Repeal and Reenactment) Amendment Bill on February 4, 2026, in which lawmakers removed the phrase “real-time” from provisions governing electronic transmission of election results.
The protest, organized under the “Occupy National Assembly” banner by the Obidient Movement and several civil society groups, intensified after former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi led a large crowd to the complex on Monday. Protesters are pressing for explicit legal safeguards against post-election manipulation and for measures to restore public confidence in the electoral process.
As public calls grow for compulsory real-time electronic transmission, some legislators argue the provision should stay discretionary due to logistical and infrastructural limitations.
The Senate has rejected claims that it scrapped electronic transmission, saying reports to the contrary amount to misinformation.
Protesters continued to chant slogans and display placards demanding the restoration of a clear, mandatory electronic transmission clause, with organizers vowing to sustain the demonstrations until the National Assembly convenes an emergency session to address the omission.
