Nasir El-Rufai, a former governor of Kaduna State, has stated that if he had been in the nation, he would have participated in the demonstration against the National Assembly spearheaded by Peter Obi, a former presidential candidate for the Labour Party.
Speaking in an interview on Trust TV on Monday, El-Rufai criticized the Senate for changing the proposed Electoral Act revisions’ provisions on the electronic transmission of election results, arguing that real-time transmission is crucial to avoiding manipulation.
He claims that political motivations and the desire to maintain electoral advantages are behind the reform’s postponement and opposition.
“I regret not being able to go back to Nigeria; I would have joined Mr. Peter Obi and other party leaders in demonstrating before the National Assembly to reinstate the mandatory and real-time transmission of polling unit results,” El-Rufai stated.
Accusing the ruling party of opposing the proposal for survival, he contended that implementing real-time electronic transmission would greatly minimize election rigging and increase election legitimacy.
The former governor added that although the House of Representatives had supported the reform, the Senate had not yet given it its complete support.
According to the report, Obi led hundreds of demonstrators to the National Assembly Complex in Abuja on Monday to voice their opposition to the Senate’s decision to strike the word “real-time” from the Electoral Act Amendment Bill’s provisions on electronic results transmission.
Members of the Obidient Movement and pro-democracy organizations organized the demonstration, which they called “Occupy the National Assembly.” They claimed that the MPs’ action was a planned attempt to undermine electoral transparency in advance of the general elections in 2027.
The Electoral Act 2022 (Repeal and Reenactment) Amendment Bill, 2026, was approved by the Senate on its third reading last week. The removal of the term “real-time” from parts pertaining to electronic results transmission, however, sparked controversy because some argue it creates opportunities for post-election manipulation.
Protesters maintain that eliminating “real-time electronic transmission” leaves gaps that could be exploited, notwithstanding the Senate’s later clarifications that it did not completely eliminate electronic transmission.
With signs that read, “Our votes must count,” “No to electoral robbery,” and “Protect democracy now,” protesters marched from the Federal Secretariat to the National Assembly while shouting solidarity songs.
The demonstrators were forced to hold their rally outside the main gate after security personnel from the Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Army, and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps blocked access to the compound.
Speaking to reporters at the location, Obi emphasized that legitimate elections continue to be the cornerstone of national growth and cautioned that Nigeria’s democratic progress was in jeopardy.
He declared, “We have to put an end to this criminality and demonstrate that we are now a country that shines in Africa.”
The former Anambra governor also called on lawmakers to guarantee electronic transmission of results by law.
“The threat was obvious. The risk has been endured by us. We have already experienced that. We want to avoid any more glitches. This is done. We’d like everything to return to normal. No more hiccups,” he continued.
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