2027 Polls: Peter Obi Leads Protesters To National Assembly Over Real- Time Transmission Of Election Results

Former Governor of Anambra State and presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi, on Monday led protesters to the National Assembly, NASS, over the controversial rejection of "real time electronic transmission" of votes from polling booths in the 2022 Electoral Amendment Bill, now before the Senate.

The rejected amendment sought to make real-time electronic transmission of election results from polling units to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Result Viewing Portal, IReV, mandatory. 

According to the proposal, “The presiding officer shall electronically transmit the results from each polling unit to the IReV portal in real time, after the prescribed Form EC8A has been signed and stamped by the presiding officer and/or countersigned by candidates or polling unit agents, where available.” 

However, Obi, who was joined by many of his supporters including Aisha Yesufu, a popular activist, at the entrance to the NASS building.

The protesters who chanted Solidarity songs noted that they had suffered from the non mandatory inclusion of transportation of votes, saying that electoral laws must to progressive and not retrogressive.

“We have suffered the danger. We don’t want any glitch again. We want things to go well. Allow the elections to go through the normal process. Whoever wins, we would accept. 

“So, why are you bringing this confusion?,” Obi said.

The security agencies including mainly of the police with Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps as well as other paramilitary agencies had earlier stationed their vans around as their men manned strategic locations to ensure order.