Why We Stormed National Assembly

Why We Stormed National Assembly – Protesters
Activists reject Senate clarification, insist ambiguity weakens election credibility
Pressure mounts ahead of emergency Senate plenary on electoral reforms

Pro-democracy activists on Monday barricaded the main entrance of the National Assembly Complex in Abuja, demanding that lawmakers explicitly include mandatory real-time electronic transmission of election results in the amended Electoral Act.

The protesters, who arrived at the complex in the early hours, said their action followed reports that the Senate had voted against a clause seeking to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission to transmit election results electronically in real time.

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EKO HOT BLOG reports that carrying placards with inscriptions such as “No real-time, no credibility,” “Secure our votes with tech,” and “Election results must be seen in real time,” the demonstrators called on lawmakers to strengthen transparency and public trust in Nigeria’s electoral process.

They insisted that the exact phrase “real-time electronic transmission” must be clearly stated in the final version of the Electoral Act amendment to remove ambiguity and prevent discretionary interpretation during result collation and announcement.

The protest comes amid mounting public backlash over the Senate’s handling of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2026, particularly following the third reading in which Clause 60 subsection 3 was voted down. The clause would have made real-time electronic transmission of results compulsory.

Although Senate leadership has since issued clarifications, arguing that it did not reject technology entirely but merely removed the phrase “real time” due to legal and logistical concerns, the protesters maintained that leaving the matter to INEC’s discretion weakens electoral accountability.

Security operatives drawn from the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigerian Army and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps were deployed to the area to maintain law and order. Vehicular movement around the Three Arms Zone was partially restricted, though the protest remained peaceful as of the time of filing this report.

The demonstrators vowed to sustain the protest until lawmakers amend the bill to reflect their demand verbatim.

The action adds to growing pressure on the National Assembly from civil society organisations, opposition parties and labour groups over the controversial amendment. The Nigeria Labour Congress has earlier warned of possible mass action if the real-time transmission clause is not reinstated, while legal practitioners including Femi Falana have hinted at potential court challenges.

The Senate is expected to reconvene on Tuesday, February 10, for an emergency plenary session where the issue may be reconsidered.