By Abuja’s Gift Chapi Odekina
Pro-democracy demonstrators occupied the National Assembly Complex in Abuja on Monday, calling on lawmakers to specifically include a requirement for the electronic transmission of election results in real-time during the ongoing Electoral Act reform.
Early in the morning, the protesters gathered outside the complex’s main entrance, claiming that news that the Senate had rejected a provision requiring electronic transmission of results was the reason behind their action.
To remove any doubt and boost the legitimacy of upcoming elections, they demanded that the term “real-time electronic transmission” be explicitly included in the new statute.
The demonstrators, holding signs demanding openness and reliable polls, promised to keep up the pressure on lawmakers until their demands were included exactly as they are in the final bill draft. They maintained that the absence of a clear clause might erode public trust in the election process and allow for manipulation.
The demonstration coincides with a public uproar over the Senate’s deliberations on the Electoral Act reform. The demonstrators insisted that clarity must be ingrained in the law itself and not left up to interpretation or administrative discretion, notwithstanding the upper chamber’s comments, which insisted that it did not reject electronic transmission of results and that its stance was being misinterpreted.
As the demonstration continued, there was a noticeable increase in security around the National Assembly. To uphold law and order and stop any security breaches within the complex, members of the Nigerian Army, Nigeria Police Force, and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) were sent in. Additionally, there were some restrictions on the movement of vehicles in the area.
The protest remained calm as of the time this report was filed, and demonstrators urged lawmakers to ensure that the modified Electoral Act guarantees real-time electronic transmission of election results, in accordance with international best practices and public expectations.
