Adeyanju Backs Obi For Leading Protest Over E-Transmission Of Election Results

Human rights lawyer Deji Adeyanju has expressed support for former Labour Party presidential candidate Mr Peter Obi for leading a protest to the National Assembly on Monday, demanding real-time electronic transmission of election results.

The protest followed last week’s passage of the amended Electoral Act, in which the Senate retained the provision for electronic transmission of results but rejected calls to amend the Act to explicitly reflect real-time result transmission.

The rejection has sparked condemnation and protests, forcing civil society groups to mobilise for a demonstration.

Obi, alongside his closest supporters — Dr Yunusa Tanko, the National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement Worldwide, and activist Aisha Yesufu — joined the protest.

Addressing journalists at the protest ground, Obi condemned what he described as the steady erosion of democratic gains in the country, warning that credible elections remain the foundation of national stability and development.

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

He urged the National Assembly to enact laws mandating electronic transmission of election results.

“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,” the former Anambra State governor said.

Obi’s appearance at the protest further galvanised the crowd, many of whom view him as a symbol of the 2023 youth-driven political awakening that challenged Nigeria’s traditional political order.

The National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement Worldwide, Dr Yunusa Tanko, said the agitation would continue until the National Assembly explicitly restores real-time electronic transmission of results in the amended law.

“If there is no electronic transmission of results, there will be no election. Our elections must be credible,” he said.

Tanko argued that past elections had been marred by manual interference during result collation — a problem electronic transmission was meant to address following reforms introduced after the 2011 and 2015 elections.

Adeyanju commended the former Anambra governor, saying, “I commend Peter Obi for joining the protest at the National Assembly today against the new Electoral Act, which I believe is an anti-people law and a major hindrance to true electoral reform in Nigeria.

“All leaders must take a stand and actively oppose such laws,” he said.