Electoral Act: Obi, Civil Society Lead #OccupyNASS Protest

Peter Obi, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, on Monday joined Nigerian youths and civil society groups in Abuja to protest the National Assembly’s decision to exclude real-time electronic transmission of election results from the Electoral Act Amendment Bill.

The protest, tagged #OccupyNASS, took place at the National Assembly complex, where demonstrators called for the inclusion of mandatory electronic transmission of results to promote democracy and public trust.

Protesters carried placards and chanted slogans demanding the inclusion of real-time electronic transmission of election results in the amended law.

Speaking at the protest, Obi said, ‘This is a very simple thing to do, allow the election to go through the normal process. Whoever wins will accept it. Why are you bringing all sorts of confusion?”

When asked about his thoughts on the emergency plenary by the National Assembly on Tuesday regarding the Electoral Act 2022, Obi said it is for this reason that Nigerians are outside, urging the representatives to do the right thing.

The protesters urged lawmakers to reconsider their stance and ensure that the amended Electoral Act contains “clear and enforceable provisions for result transmission” that reflect the will of the people.