A former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has said he would have joined the protest led by former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, against the National Assembly if he had been in the country.

El-Rufai, who spoke during an interview on Trust TV on Monday, faulted the Senate for altering provisions on electronic transmission of election results in the proposed Electoral Act amendments, insisting that real-time transmission is essential to preventing manipulation.

According to him, the delay and resistance surrounding the reform are politically motivated and aimed at preserving electoral advantages.

“It’s unfortunate I have not been able to return to Nigeria, I would have joined Mr. Peter Obi and other party leaders in protesting to the National Assembly to restore the real-time and mandatory transmission of results from the polling unit,” El-Rufai said.

He argued that adopting real-time electronic transmission would significantly reduce rigging and improve the credibility of elections, accusing the ruling party of opposing the measure for survival reasons.

The former governor also noted that while the House of Representatives had aligned with the reform, the Senate was yet to fully embrace it.

PUNCH Online had reported that Obi on Monday led hundreds of protesters to the National Assembly Complex in Abuja to oppose the Senate’s decision to remove the phrase “real-time” from provisions on electronic transmission of results in the Electoral Act Amendment Bill.

The protest, tagged “Occupy the National Assembly,” was organised by members of the Obidient Movement and pro-democracy groups, who said the lawmakers’ action was a calculated move to weaken electoral transparency ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Last week, the Senate passed the Electoral Act 2022 (Repeal and Reenactment) Amendment Bill, 2026, through third reading. However, controversy followed the deletion of the words “real-time” from sections dealing with electronic transmission of results, a development critics believe opens the door to post-election manipulation.

Although the Senate later issued explanations claiming it did not scrap electronic transmission entirely, protesters insist that removing “real-time electronic transmission” creates loopholes that could be exploited.

During the protest, demonstrators marched from the Federal Secretariat to the National Assembly, chanting solidarity songs and displaying placards reading, “Our votes must count,” “No to electoral robbery,” and “Protect democracy now.”

Security operatives drawn from the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigerian Army and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps blocked access to the complex, forcing the protesters to hold their rally outside the main gate.

Addressing journalists at the venue, Obi warned that democratic progress in Nigeria was under threat and stressed that credible elections remain the backbone of national development.

“We must dismantle this criminality and prove that we are now a nation that shows light in Africa,” he said.

The former Anambra governor also called on lawmakers to guarantee electronic transmission of results by law.

“The danger was clear. We have suffered the danger. That’s what we have suffered before. We don’t want any glitch again. This is finished. We want things to come back to normal. No more glitch,” he added. (PUNCH)

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