Abuja witnessed rising tension on Monday as Peter Obi, prominent figure of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), led protesters at the National Assembly (NASS) against the Senate’s rejection of mandatory electronic transmission of election results.
The protest, tagged ‘Occupy NASS’, saw Nigerian youths and pro-democracy activists converge at the entrance of the legislative complex to demand transparency and credibility in Nigeria’s electoral process.
Speaking at the protest site, Obi criticized the Senate’s decision, urging lawmakers to allow elections to proceed without restrictions. “Allow the election to go through the normal process. Whatever the outcome is, we will accept it. Why introduce confusion after the process?” he said.
The demonstration drew a heavy security presence, including personnel from the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigerian Army, and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), all deployed to ensure order around the National Assembly.
Protesters called on the National Assembly to reconsider its position on the e-transmission clause of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, insisting that electronic transmission is essential to preventing election disputes and building public confidence in the results.
As of the time of reporting, the protest remained peaceful, with security operatives closely monitoring the crowd and activities at the site.