Obi leads protesters to national assembly over real-time election result transmission

By Charles Maduka

Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, has led a protest to the National Assembly Complex in Abuja following the senate’s refusal to approve real-time electronic transmission of election results.

The protest march included students, civil society organisations, members of the African Democratic Congress, and supporters drawn from the Obidient Movement, all of whom converged on the assembly to express dissatisfaction with the lawmakers’ decision.

Addressing the crowd, Obi urged political actors to respect democratic processes, stressing that elections should be allowed to run transparently without unnecessary controversy. He said winners should emerge through a process accepted by all parties, questioning why confusion was being introduced into the system.

The protest followed the passage of the Electoral Act amendment bill by the senate after several hours of clause-by-clause consideration. One of the changes approved by lawmakers reduced the period within which the Independent National Electoral Commission is required to publish a notice of election.

During the same legislative exercise, the senate declined to support provisions mandating real-time electronic transmission of election results. Instead, it retained the existing framework contained in the Electoral Act 2022, which allows electronic transfer of results in a manner determined by the electoral commission.

The decision triggered widespread reactions, particularly online, with many critics focusing on clause 60(3) of the amendment bill. The rejected proposal sought to compel presiding officers to transmit polling unit results to the INEC results viewing portal in real time after election result forms had been duly completed and endorsed.

The proposal also aimed to turn electronic transmission from an optional procedure into a binding legal obligation, directly linking polling unit results to the IReV platform. Lawmakers, however, chose to uphold section 60(5) of the existing law, which gives INEC discretion on how results are transmitted.

In response to the growing backlash, the senate announced plans to hold an emergency plenary session to address concerns arising from the amendment bill.

A notice issued by Emmanuel Odo, clerk of the senate, stated that the emergency sitting was scheduled on the directive of Senate President Godswill Akpabio, as public pressure continued to mount over the controversial provisions.