Protesters Occupy National Assembly Over Electoral Bill as Senate Schedules Emergency Plenary on Tuesday
By Fatima Saka
Abuja — Protesters on Monday stormed and occupied the main entrance of the National Assembly Complex in Abuja, intensifying pressure on the Senate over alleged omissions in the Electoral Bill, particularly the failure to expressly provide for real-time electronic transmission of election results.
The protesters, who had earlier vowed to take their grievances to the legislature, said the demonstration was aimed at compelling lawmakers to explicitly include mandatory electronic transmission of results in the ongoing amendment of the Electoral Act.
The crux of the protest followed reports that the Senate had rejected a clause mandating electronic transmission of election results, a move the demonstrators insist could weaken transparency and credibility in Nigeria’s electoral process.
Although the Senate has issued several clarifications denying any compromise or manipulation in the passage of the bill, the protesters maintained that such explanations were inadequate. They insisted that the law must clearly spell out “real-time electronic transmission of results” to remove ambiguity and guard against abuse.
Meanwhile, the Senate is set to reconvene on Tuesday for an emergency plenary session, a development that comes amid mounting public pressure over the controversial bill. The session is expected to consider and possibly approve the votes and proceedings of last Wednesday, when the Electoral Amendment Bill 2026 was passed, in order to empower the conference committee with the official working document.
The notice of the emergency sitting was contained in a memo dated February 8, 2026, and signed by the Clerk of the Senate, Emmanuel OdoJp, PhD, acting on the directive of the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio.
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“I am directed by His Excellency, the President of the Senate, Distinguished Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio, GCON, to inform all Distinguished Senators of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that an emergency sitting of the Senate has been scheduled to hold on Tuesday, 10th February, 2026, at 12:00 noon,” the memo read.
At the time of filing this report, security had been beefed up around the National Assembly, with operatives of the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigerian Army, and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps deployed to maintain law and order as the protest continued.
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