Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has said he would have joined the protest led by former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi at the National Assembly if he had been in Nigeria.
Speaking during an interview on Trust TV on Monday, El-Rufai criticised the Senate’s handling of proposed amendments to the Electoral Act, particularly changes to provisions on electronic transmission of election results.
He maintained that real-time transmission of results from polling units is critical to curbing manipulation.
“It’s unfortunate I have not been able to return to Nigeria. I would have joined Mr. Peter Obi and other party leaders in protesting to the National Assembly to restore the real-time and mandatory transmission of results from the polling unit,” he said.
El-Rufai argued that resistance and delays surrounding the reform are politically driven and aimed at preserving electoral advantages.
According to him, adopting real-time electronic transmission would significantly reduce vote rigging and boost the credibility of elections. He accused the ruling party of opposing the measure out of political survival.
He noted that while the House of Representatives appeared supportive of the reform, the Senate had yet to fully align with it.
READ ALSO: Protesters Lay Siege To National Assembly Over Electronic Result Transmission
On Monday, Obi led hundreds of protesters to the National Assembly Complex in Abuja to oppose the Senate’s decision to delete the phrase “real-time” from sections of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill dealing with electronic transmission of results.
The protest, tagged “Occupy the National Assembly,” was organised by members of the Obidient Movement and pro-democracy groups, who described the Senate’s action as a deliberate attempt to weaken electoral transparency ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Last week, the Senate passed the Electoral Act 2022 (Repeal and Reenactment) Amendment Bill, 2026, through third reading. Controversy followed the removal of “real-time” from the relevant clauses — a move critics say could create room for post-election manipulation.
Although the Senate later clarified that it had not scrapped electronic transmission entirely, protesters insist the change introduces loopholes.
Demonstrators marched from the Federal Secretariat to the National Assembly, chanting solidarity songs and displaying placards with inscriptions such as “Our votes must count,” “No to electoral robbery,” and “Protect democracy now.”
READ ALSO: NLC Threatens Protests, Election Boycott Over Senate’s Stance on Electronic Transmission
Security personnel from the Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Army, and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps barricaded the complex, forcing the protesters to hold their rally outside the main gate.
Addressing journalists, Obi warned that Nigeria’s democratic progress was under threat and stressed that credible elections remain central to national development.
“We must dismantle this criminality and prove that we are now a nation that shows light in Africa,” he said, urging lawmakers to legally guarantee electronic transmission of results.
“The danger was clear. We have suffered the danger before. We don’t want any glitch again. This is finished. We want things to come back to normal. No more glitch,” he added.