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Tuesday, February 17, 2026

Protesters reconvene at National Assembly amid debate on electronic transmission of poll results

The protesters sang, “We no go gree, we no go gree, Akpabio, pass the bill.”

• February 17, 2026
Protesters over electoral act
Protesters over electoral act[Credit: Instagram]

Protesters reconvened at the National Assembly complex in Abuja on Tuesday, intensifying calls for the mandatory real-time transmission of election results from polling units to the INEC IREV portal.

Some politicians, including a former Social Democratic Party’s presidential candidate Adewole Adebayo, ex-minister Oby Ezekwesili, Omoyele Sowore, were sighted among the protesters.

The protesters sang, “We no go gree, we no go gree, Akpabio, pass the bill,” insisting they would not vacate the complex until the right thing was done.

Footage of the Tuesday protest, however, showed protesters scampering for safety as the police tried to forcefully disperse them with teargas.

Despite the flames renting the air at the protest scene, several protesters stood their ground, demanding passage of only mandatory real-time electronic transmission in the amendments to Electoral Act bill.

One of the protesters, Mr Sowore said, “The quest for participatory democracy is fundamentally incompatible with criminal politicians. Today, we stood in solidarity with the organisers of the Mandatory Transmission of Election Results protest at the National Assembly. As usual, the anti-people Nigeria Police Force was deployed not to protect citizens, but to attack peaceful protesters, unprovoked.”

Controversy continues to trail the inclusion of both electronic and manual transmissions of election results in the amended Electoral Act recently passed by Goodwill Akpabio-led Senate after intense protests by Nigerians.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubkar and other political figures rejected the Senate’s decision allowing both real-time electronic and manual transmission of election results, arguing that the move would create further chaos.

Meanwhile, some members of the House of Representatives on Tuesday flared up at the emergency plenary after the Speaker Abbas Tajudeen ruled on a motion to rescind the decision on the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, 2025 for further reconsideration.

The motion moved by the Chairman, House Committee on Rules and Business, Francis Waive (APC-Delta), was pursuant to Order 9, Rule 1 (6) of the Standing Orders of the house.

Problem started when Mr Abbas put the motion to a voice vote and ruled in favour of the ayes.

Some dissatisfied members revolted in loud voices and to prevent the rowdy session from further degenerating, Mr Abbas directed that the Majority Leader, Julius Ihonvbere (APC-Edo State) move a motion for the house to proceed into a closed-door session.

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