Former presidential candidate Peter Obi has said that he and other opposition politicians will accept the winner of the 2027 presidential election if the results are transmitted in real time.
Mr Obi made the remark during a protest at the National Assembly on Monday, where he, activist Aisha Yesufu, and others protested against the Godswill Akpabio-led Senate over the removal of the provision for the real-time transmission of election results from the Electoral Act.
“We have suffered the danger; that’s what we have suffered before. We don’t want any glitch again,” Mr Obi said. “Simple transmission; it is not a difficult thing. Allow the election go through the normal process; whoever wins, we’ll accept. So, why are you bringing all sorts of confusion?”
Meanwhile, Mr Akpabio had on Sunday announced an emergency plenary for Tuesday (tomorrow).
Monday’s protest was held at the main entrance of the National Assembly in Abuja, after protesters stormed the centre area at about 9:30 a.m. to demand passage of the Electoral Amendment Bill, which provides for the real-time electronic transmission of results from polling units and is currently under consideration by the Senate.
Mr Obi joined the protesters around 10:00 a.m.
The Senate has faced widespread criticism following its refusal to pass the bill mandating the electronic transmission of election results into law on Wednesday.
Police officers and operatives of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps were stationed on the premises, while the intersecting roads leading to the parliament’s complex were partitioned with their vehicles.
The protesters marched through the streets of Abuja carrying protest placards with several inscriptions, including ‘Say No To Electoral Fraud’, ‘We Reject The Senate’s Rejection’, ‘Akpabio, E-Transmission Is A Must’, and ‘Transmission Is Progress Not Retrogression’, among others.
