Protesters on Monday stormed the National Assembly, demanding that real-time electronic transmission of election results be made compulsory in the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, 2026, Grassroots Parrot reports.
The demonstrators, which included civil society organisations such as Situation Room and ActionAid, called for the complete removal of manual collation, arguing that it creates room for manipulation during the results collation process.
The protest followed a five-day recess by the National Assembly after assurances were given during last Tuesday’s sitting.
Security operatives reportedly barricaded the entrances to the complex, forcing the protesters to stage their demonstration outside the gates.
The group insisted on full transparency and mandatory real-time electronic transmission, maintaining that there is no justification for manual backups since the election budget already makes provision for technological infrastructure.
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Recall that the Senate reconvened for an emergency plenary last Tuesday to reconsider its earlier decision on Clause 60(3) of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill.
The Senate Chief Whip, Tahir Monguno (APC, Borno North), moved a motion to delete the phrase “real-time” and replace “transmission” with “transfer.”
The proposal triggered heated objections from several lawmakers, including Enyinnaya Abaribe (APGA, Abia South), who repeatedly raised points of order during the debate.
At the end of deliberations, the Senate approved electronic transmission of results to INEC’s Result Viewing Portal but retained manual collation as a fallback in the event of technical failures.
The Senate is scheduled to reconvene on Tuesday, February 17, at 11 a.m., to take further decisions on national matters.
Meanwhile, the protesters vowed to sustain pressure on lawmakers until full real-time transmission of election results is guaranteed in the law.