Protesters returned to the National Assembly on Monday to call for mandatory real-time electronic transmission of election results in the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, 2026.
Led by civil society groups, including Situation Room and ActionAid, the demonstrators insisted that manual collation of results be fully eliminated to prevent potential manipulation during the collation process.
Security operatives reportedly barricaded entrances to the complex, forcing the protesters to stage their demonstration outside the National Assembly gates.
The activists argued that manual backups are unnecessary, noting that the election budget already provides for the technological infrastructure needed for real-time transmission of results.
The protest comes after a five-day break, following assurances from the National Assembly during its last Tuesday sitting. The Senate had convened an emergency plenary to revisit Clause 60(3) of the bill.
Senate Chief Whip, Senator Tahir Monguno (APC, Borno North), had proposed replacing the term “real-time” with “transfer” and removing “transmission,” prompting objections from senators including Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe (APGA, Abia South).
The Senate ultimately approved electronic transmission to INEC’s Result Viewing Portal but retained manual collation as a backup in case of technical failures.
The Senate is scheduled to reconvene on Tuesday, February 17, at 11 a.m. to address further national issues.
