Amidst confusion over the Senate’s decision on the electronic transmission of election results as proposed in the Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2025, the Obidient Movement has accused the upper legislative chamber of frustrating efforts to sanitize the country’s electoral process.

Dr. Yunusa Tanko, National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement Worldwide, made the statement in a press release issued to journalists in Abuja on Friday.

The Senate on Wednesday rejected a proposed amendment to Clause 60, Subsection 3, of the Electoral Amendment Bill 2026, which sought to make the electronic transmission of results from polling units compulsory. The proposed amendment states that:

“The Commission shall electronically transmit the results from each polling unit to the IREV portal in real time, and such transmission shall be done simultaneously with the physical collation of results.”

Instead, the Senate adopted the existing provision of the 2022 Electoral Act, which states that:

“The presiding officer shall transfer the results, including the total number of accredited voters and the results of the ballot, in a manner as prescribed by the Commission.”

Reacting to the development, the Obidient Movement, a forum of supporters of former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi and African Democratic Congress aspirant, described the Senate’s decision as “a deliberate and unforgivable act of electoral manipulation in preparation for the 2027 general elections.”

Dr. Tanko said the National Assembly’s decision represents “a direct assault on the foundations of Nigeria’s democracy.”

“By refusing to mandate the electronic transmission of results from polling units to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) Result Viewing Portal (IREV), the Senate has chosen to institutionalise chaos and opacity, thereby eroding public trust in the electoral process,” he said.

“This action is a slap in the face of millions of Nigerians who have tirelessly advocated for greater transparency and accountability in our elections.”

He recalled the turmoil and disputes of the 2023 general elections, attributing them to the failure to fully implement electronic transmission of results.

“Nigerians were fed excuses of a fabricated ‘glitch’ that never existed, while the will of the people was blatantly subverted. This latest move by the Senate only serves to entrench the same systems that enable electoral malpractice. This failure to pass a clear safeguard is nothing short of a deliberate assault on Nigeria’s democracy. By rejecting these essential transparency measures, they are eroding the very foundation of credible elections.”

The Obidient Movement questioned the motives of the current leadership, asking:

“Does the government exist to ensure order and justice, or to institutionalise chaos? Is its purpose to serve the people, or to fulfil the sinister ambitions of a privileged few?”

Dr. Tanko further warned that while many African nations are embracing technology to strengthen democracy, Nigeria is “shamefully dragging the continent backward.”

The movement also threatened to mobilise Nigerians to participate in a peaceful march to the National Assembly to press lawmakers to revisit the decision.

“The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), which controls the National Assembly, has clearly demonstrated its intent to undermine free, fair, and credible elections. It is both ironic and hypocritical for a party that deploys e-registration and electronic processes for its internal affairs to deny Nigerians the same level of transparency in national elections. We, the Obidient Movement, will not stand idly by while the future of our nation is being mortgaged for the political gain of a privileged few.”

Tanko called on Nigerians, civil society organisations, and the international community to join in resisting what he described as a “dangerous backward slide.”

“The criminality witnessed during the 2023 elections will not be tolerated in 2027. Nigerians everywhere must be prepared to rise up, resist, and reject this deliberate act of democratic sabotage, and to legitimately and decisively reclaim our country. We urge the international community to take note of the groundwork currently being laid for future electoral manipulation in Nigeria.”

The Obidient Movement concluded by calling on citizens to participate in a peaceful march to demand an emergency sitting of both chambers to pass into law the mandatory real-time electronic transmission of election results to INEC’s IREV portal.

“A stitch in time saves nine,” Dr. Tanko said, urging Nigerians to unite and correct what he described as “an abnormality that threatens the integrity of our democracy.”

(Nigerian Tribune)

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