Ruth NWORIE
Former presidential candidate of the Labour Party and now a member of the African
Democratic Congress (ADC), Mr Peter Obi, on Monday joined protesters in Abuja demanding the electronic transmission of election results.
The protest, which took place at the gate of the National Assembly Complex, was organised by civil society groups and concerned citizens calling for the immediate passage of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Addressing protesters, Obi stressed that electronic transmission of results should not be controversial, noting that it would enhance transparency and credibility in the electoral process.
When asked if he would return for the continuation of the protest on Tuesday, Obi said the group would observe proceedings at the National Assembly before deciding the next line of action.
The protest continued as citizens intensified calls for the immediate passage of the bill providing for electronic transmission of election results.
Rights activist, Aisha Yusuf, was also present at the protest ground, urging lawmakers to pass the amendment in the interest of democracy.
Meanwhile, Executive Director of the Peering Advocacy and Advancement Centre in Africa, Mr Ezenwa Nwagwu, said the current agitation over the Electoral Act amendment was a positive development but noted that electronic transmission alone was insufficient.
Speaking in an interview with Arise News, Nwagwu argued that the amendment should also provide for electronic collation of results to curb manipulation at polling units.
“All we want is e-transmission; it is not a difficult thing. Allow the election to go through the normal process. Whoever wins will accept. Why are you bringing up the confusion?”
“The National Assembly are having their sitting on Tuesday. We will wait after the sitting. We are here today to make sure they make that difference.”Peter obi.
“My quick sense is that the current agitation that we are seeing around electoral amendment is positive, positive in the sense that we have continued to ask for more and more citizens’ oversight over governance, over activities of those who govern us. The more people engage in law-making, the more we expand the democratic space.
“Having said that, it is also important to note that while electronic transmission of results is important, it is not far-reaching enough.
The Act should include electronic transmission and collation. Collation is tied to activities at polling units, where results are sometimes compromised through community pollution and manipulation with the agreement of party agents. We should not leave it at electronic transmission alone; we should be talking about electronic transmission and collation.” Ezenwa Nwagwu
