Protesters returned to Nigeria’s National Assembly in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, on Monday, February 16, 2026, calling on lawmakers to make real-time electronic transmission of election results mandatory in the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, 2026.
The demonstration, led by civil society organisations and election transparency advocates, focused on removing manual collation as an option during results compilation. Protesters argued that keeping a manual backup creates room for interference and disputes, especially at critical points where results are aggregated.
Okay News reports that the groups insist Nigeria can enforce real-time digital transmission because election planning already provides for technology and logistics, making a manual alternative unnecessary in their view. They also demanded stronger safeguards to ensure that results recorded at polling units are promptly and transparently reflected in official tallies.
Among the participating organisations were the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room, a coalition of civic groups that monitors elections and governance, and ActionAid Nigeria, the local arm of ActionAid, an international development and human rights organisation. One of the speakers at the protest was Nigerian activist Peter Randyz.
Security personnel reportedly restricted access to the National Assembly complex by barricading entry points, which forced the protesters to hold the demonstration outside the gates rather than within the premises.
The renewed pressure followed developments in Nigeria’s Senate, the upper chamber of the National Assembly, over provisions in the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, 2026. The Senate reconvened for an emergency plenary session on Tuesday, February 10, 2026, to revisit its earlier handling of Clause 60(3), which deals with how results are transmitted and managed.
During that sitting, Senator Tahir Monguno, the Senate Chief Whip and a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) representing Borno North Senatorial District in Borno State in north-east Nigeria, moved a change that removed the words “real-time” from the clause. He also proposed replacing the word “transmission” with “transfer.”
The move drew objections from some lawmakers, including Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, a member of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) representing Abia South Senatorial District in Abia State in south-east Nigeria, who raised repeated points of order during the debate.
After deliberations, the Senate approved electronic transmission to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s Result Viewing Portal, known formally as the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV). However, it also retained manual collation as a fallback option if technical problems occur.
Protesters said that compromise does not go far enough, and they vowed to keep up pressure until the law guarantees real-time electronic transmission without manual alternatives. The Senate is expected to reconvene on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, at 11:00 in the morning, West African Time (WAT, GMT+1), for further decisions on national issues.
