Obidient Movement Plans Nationwide Protest Over Senate’s Electoral Bill Dispute

Members of the Obidient movement have begun nationwide mobilisation against Senate President Godswill Akpabio following claims that the Senate’s version of the Electoral Act amendment removed a clause on electronic transmission of election results.

The group is calling for protests at the National Assembly in Abuja, urging the Senate to pass legislation that clearly mandates electronic transmission of results. Online mobilisation has gathered momentum under hashtags such as **#OccupyNASS** and **#OperationSaveOurDemocracy**.

On Wednesday, the Senate passed the *Electoral Act, 2022 (Repeal and Enactment) Bill, 2026*. During the announcement of the outcome, the Senate leadership stated that a proposal to make electronic transmission of results compulsory had been rejected. The bill was said to retain the 2022 framework, which requires manual completion, signing, stamping and distribution of results at polling units, with further handling of results left to procedures prescribed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The announcement drew criticism from several political figures and parties, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Anambra State governor Peter Obi, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and the Action Democratic Congress (ADC), all of whom expressed concern over the reported decision.

However, a group of senators has challenged the Senate leadership’s account of the proceedings. Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Senators Enyinnaya Abaribe, Aminu Tambuwal, and Natasha Akpoti said the Senate had in fact voted to retain electronic transmission of results in the bill.

Mr Abaribe said the record needed clarification. According to him, senators agreed during committee deliberations and in executive session to adopt Section 60(3) specifying electronic transmission of results, rather than the term “transfer” used in the 2022 Act.

“To put the records straight, what we passed is transmission of results,” Mr Abaribe said. “The 2022 Act uses the word ‘transfer’, which is open to interpretation. We agreed on ‘electronic transmission’ to ensure clarity and remove ambiguity.”

The senators accused the Senate leadership of announcing a version of the bill that did not reflect what was voted on during plenary.

As the disagreement unfolds, the Obidient movement says it will continue mobilisation until the Senate provides clarity and passes a law that explicitly mandates electronic transmission of election results.