Former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi, on Monday took the battle for credible elections straight to the gates of the National Assembly, joining hundreds of protesters in a dramatic show of defiance against what demonstrators described as a fresh attempt to rig the 2027 elections through the backdoor.
The protest, branded ‘Occupy the National Assembly,’ was triggered by the Senate’s controversial decision to delete the phrase “real-time” from provisions on electronic transmission of election results in the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, a move critics insist fatally weakens safeguards against post-election manipulation.
Obi’s sudden appearance electrified the crowd as demonstrators, drawn largely from the Obidient Movement, civil society organisations and pro-democracy groups, besieged the National Assembly complex, chanting protest songs and brandishing placards reading ‘Our Votes Must Count’, ‘No to Electoral Robbery’, and ‘Protect Democracy Now’.
