Obidients Call for Protest, Condemn Senate’s Rejection of Electronic Election Results

By Charles Maduka

The Obidient Movement has faulted the senate over its decision to reject mandatory real-time electronic transmission of election results in the recent amendment of the Electoral Act.

In a statement issued on Friday, Yunusa Tanko, national coordinator of the movement, described the decision to retain provisions for manual collation as a direct attack on Nigeria’s democratic process and an effort to entrench secrecy in elections.

Tanko said the senate’s action was a calculated move that could pave the way for manipulation of the 2027 general elections.

He referenced the controversies that trailed the 2023 general election, particularly the failure to upload polling unit results to the Independent National Electoral Commission portal due to what was described as a technical glitch, arguing that the latest position of the senate was aimed at preserving the same weaknesses that eroded public trust in the process.

According to the statement, rejecting mandatory real-time transmission amounted to electoral sabotage, as it weakens confidence in the system and sustains the structures that enabled widespread manipulation during the last general election.

Tanko also accused the ruling All Progressives Congress, which controls the majority in the national assembly, of applying double standards, noting that the party depends on electronic systems for its internal primaries while denying Nigerians the same level of transparency during national elections.

He announced plans for a peaceful mass protest at the national assembly, calling on lawmakers in both chambers to convene an emergency session and pass a law making real-time transmission of polling unit results to the IReV portal compulsory and non-negotiable.

The national coordinator said details and the date of the planned march would be communicated through the official channels of the movement.

He further urged Nigerians within the country and in the diaspora, civil society groups, and the international community to stand against what he described as a dangerous slide backwards in democratic standards.