By: Goodluck E. Adubazi, Abuja.

Pandemonium erupted on Tuesday, 17 February, 2026, at the National Assembly complex in Abuja after police fired teargas at peaceful demonstrators demanding mandatory real-time electronic transmission of election results.

The protesters, who gathered as early as 9:00 a.m. at the Democracy Avenue entrance to the National Assembly, initially staged a peaceful rally calling for credible elections and reforms to Nigeria’s Electoral Act.

However, the situation deteriorated around noon when security operatives moved in to disperse the crowd with teargas.

The demonstrators had blocked access roads to the complex, insisting that lawmakers adopt provisions mandating electronic transmission of polling unit results without conditions.

“This Is About Nigeria’s Future” — ActionAid

Speaking earlier to journalists, the Country Director of ActionAid Nigeria, Andrew Mamedu, said the protest was part of a broader citizens’ movement for electoral integrity and national transformation.
“This whole struggle is about the future of Nigeria,” Mamedu said.

“Millions of Nigerians are demanding that their votes count — for president, governors, senators, members of the House of Representatives, and state assemblies” He said.

The mandate of citizens is simple: to decide who occupies those seats.”
He argued that low voter turnout reflects declining public trust in the electoral system.

According to him, while Nigeria boasts nearly 98 percent network coverage, voter turnout has hovered around 23 percent in recent elections — a gap he described as evidence that technical excuses against electronic transmission are untenable.
“If we have 98 percent network coverage, that is excellence anywhere in the world,” he said.

“The 2 percent gap cannot be the reason to deny Nigerians real-time electronic transmission of results.”
Standard Times Nigeria correspondent can confirm that the house version is backed by Civil Society.

The protest comes amid ongoing harmonization of two differing versions of proposed amendments to the Electoral Act passed separately by the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Civil society groups, including the Nigeria Situation Room, insisted that the conference committee adopt the House of Representatives’ version, which they described as more aligned with the will of the people.

Among those present at the rally were human rights activist Omoyele Sowore and former Minister of Education Oby Ezekwesili, alongside several pro-democracy advocates.

Protesters warned lawmakers against succumbing to political pressure or financial inducements in deciding the final version of the bill.
“History will judge members of this committee,” the ActionAid Country Director said. “Their children will one day ask whether they stood for Nigeria or against her.”

However, the threat of Mass Litigation looms as
Human rights lawyers and leaders warned that failure to adopt the House version could trigger widespread legal challenges.

They threatened to file over 1,000 public interest lawsuits if the harmonized bill falls short of mandating unconditional, real-time electronic transmission of election results. According to them, such litigation could jeopardize preparations for the 2027 general elections.

Activists also argued that once the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) issues regulations under its constitutional powers, those rules should carry the force of law and not be subject to discretionary interpretation.

Sadly, Police Action Sparks Concern,
The use of teargas to disperse protesters drew criticism from civil rights groups, who described the rally as peaceful before the intervention of security forces.

Despite the disruption, organizers vowed to continue their campaign until lawmakers adopt what they termed “the people’s version” of the Electoral Act amendment.

“One thing is clear,” the protesters said. “Anything short of mandatory, real-time electronic transmission of results is unacceptable.”

As lawmakers deliberate, tensions remain high over what many election observers and protesters at the National Assembly, venue of the protest say is a defining issue for Nigeria’s democratic credibility ahead of the next electoral cycle.