Outrage At NASS: Protesters Demand Mandatory Real-Time Election Result Transmission

The demonstrators, made up of civil society groups such as Situation Room and ActionAid, argued that manual collation should be completely scrapped to eliminate opportunities for result manipulation.

Security personnel blocked access to the National Assembly complex, compelling the protesters to carry out their demonstration outside the main entrance.

The protest resumed after a five-day pause, which followed assurances given during last Tuesday’s plenary session.

The groups insisted there was no valid reason to retain manual backups, noting that adequate funds had already been allocated in the election budget for technological infrastructure. They demanded that results from polling units be transmitted electronically in real time to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s Result Viewing Portal to ensure transparency.

According to the protesters, allowing manual collation as a fallback option leaves room for interference and undermines public confidence in the electoral process.

Their renewed agitation comes after the Senate convened an emergency plenary to reconsider its earlier stance on Clause 60(3) of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill. During the debate, Senate Chief Whip Tahir Monguno proposed removing the words “real-time” and replacing “transmission” with “transfer,” a move that sparked strong objections from some lawmakers, including Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, who raised multiple points of order.

Following deliberations, the Senate approved electronic transmission of results to INEC’s portal but retained manual collation as a contingency measure in case of technical failure.

The Senate is expected to reconvene on Tuesday, February 17, at 11 a.m. to continue discussions on national matters, including the Electoral Act amendment.

Meanwhile, the protesters pledged to maintain pressure on lawmakers until mandatory real-time electronic transmission of election results is fully guaranteed.