On Monday, protesters broke through the National Assembly Complex’s entrance gate in Abuja, citing the problems surrounding the Senate’s stance on the electronic transmission of election results.
The demonstrators marched toward the National Assembly gate from the Federal Secretariat.
As part of the Nigerian Electoral Act revision, the demonstrators had threatened to overrun the National Assembly in order to force the mandatory electronic transmission of results.
This comes after a number of reports that the Senate had rejected the continuing amendment’s requirement that electronic results be transmitted.
Despite the Senate’s repeated clarifications and denials of any complixity, demonstrators are demanding that lawmakers be clear by using the term “real-time electronic transmission” in the draft legislation.
According to reports at the time this story was filed, the protest site was well guarded by members of the Nigerian Army, Nigeria Police Force, and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps who were there to keep the peace.
Speaking to Channels Television, a few protesters said that they have no intention of entering the National Assembly’s grounds, as the demonstration is anticipated to primarily occur at the entrance.
Remember how the Senate’s alleged conflicting positions on the 2022 Electoral Act amendment, specifically regarding the electronic transmission of election results, have prompted stakeholders, including the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), to threaten to organize large-scale demonstrations or call for a boycott of upcoming elections.
The Senate’s actions run the risk of eroding public trust in Nigeria’s democracy and electoral process, according to a statement released on Sunday by NLC President Joe Ajaero.
