Obedient Movement Worldwide has warned that the Senate’s decision to reject obligatory real-time electronic transmission of election results could damage the legitimacy of the general elections in 2027 and has threatened to hold a large-scale demonstration against the National Assembly.
In a statement released in Abuja on Friday, the group’s national coordinator, Yunusa Tanko, revealed this, although no specific date for the planned demonstration was set.
The warning came after a proposed change to Clause 70(3) of the Electoral change Bill, which aimed to mandate the electronic transmission of election results, was rejected by the Senate.
Recall that Senate President Godswill Akpabio previously clarified the Senate’s stance, stating that the upper house did not completely reject electronic transmission but instead kept the Electoral Act’s current clause 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.”
In response, Tanko denounced the Senate’s decision in a statement titled “Obidient Movement Rejects Non-Passage of Electronic Transmission of Results, Calls for March to National Assembly,” describing it as an effort to continue manually collating election results in accordance with the 2022 Electoral Act.
He said, “The Obidient Movement vehemently condemns the Nigerian Senate’s recent decision to reject the mandatory electronic transmission of election results.
“This action, which retains a clause in the 2022 Electoral Act allowing for manual collation of results, is a deliberate and unforgivable act of electoral manipulation in preparation for the 2027 general elections.”
Tanko argued that Nigerians have consistently called for reforms that would ensure openness and credibility, calling the decision a setback to electoral reforms and a threat to democratic governance.
“This decision by the National Assembly 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 IREV, the Senate has chosen to institutionalise chaos and opacity, thereby eroding public trust in the electoral process.
“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 said.
The group connected the Senate’s move to the scandals that followed the general elections in 2023, which were tainted by disagreements over how to transmit the results.
“We vividly recall the turmoil, disputes, and widespread manipulation that characterised the 2023 general elections—events that stemmed directly from 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,” Tanko said.
He condemned Nigeria’s democratic trajectory in comparison to other African nations that have adopted technology to increase electoral credibility and accused the political leadership of putting elite interests ahead of democratic norms.
Tanko additionally accused the ruling All Progressives Congress of double standards.
“The senate 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,” he said.
The movement demanded immediate legislative action and announced plans for a nonviolent demonstration.
“Accordingly, we hereby call on all Nigerians to join us in a peaceful march to the National Assembly to press our demand that both chambers convene an emergency sitting to revisit this critical issue and immediately pass into law the mandatory real-time electronic transmission of election results to INEC’s IREV portal.
“A stitch in time saves nine. A New Nigeria is Possible,” Tanko added.
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