House Passes Electoral Bill Amid Opposition Walkout and #OccupyNASS Protests

Tensions spilled from the chambers of Nigeria’s National Assembly to the streets of Abuja on Tuesday, as opposition lawmakers staged a walkout during a heated plenary session while protesters outside the complex demanded stronger safeguards for the 2027 general elections.

At the centre of the storm is the proposed Electoral Act Amendment Bill, which critics say creates a loophole ripe for result manipulation, and weakens provisions for the electronic transmission of election results. Inside the House of Representatives, shouting matches, disputed voice votes and repeated objections marked a prolonged and rowdy sitting that ended with the passage of a harmonised version of the bill. Outside, demonstrators under the #OccupyNASS banner continued their ninth consecutive day of protest, calling for mandatory real-time electronic transmission of results from polling units.

The controversy has united an unlikely coalition of civil society actors and opposition politicians. Prominent education advocate and former minister Obiageli “Oby” Ezekwesili had previously accused the Senate of deliberately creating a loophole that could be exploited to manipulate the 2027 polls. She criticised lawmakers for departing from an earlier clause that mandated real-time electronic transmission, arguing that the revised language opens the door to post-collation interference.

Describing the provision as “an insult on the collective intelligence of Nigerians,” Ezekwesili warned that allowing manual forms to serve as alternatives in the event of transmission failure undermines transparency and weakens public confidence in the electoral process. In December 2025, many citizens had praised the House of Representatives for backing stronger electronic transmission measures. The current reversal clearly represents a troubling shift.

The House convened Tuesday’s plenary as an emergency session, citing the constitutional importance of developments surrounding the 2027 election timetable recently announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Lawmakers had previously adjourned for budget defence sessions, but were recalled through a memo from the Office of the Speaker, Abbas Tajudeen.

Trouble began when the Chairman of the Committee on Rules and Business, Francis Waive (APC, Delta), moved a motion to rescind the House’s earlier December 2025 passage of the amendment bill in order to align it with what he described as emerging electoral reforms. When the motion was put to a voice vote, a majority appeared to oppose it, sparking immediate protests on the floor.

Attempts to calm tensions by moving into a closed-door executive session were initially rejected. However, the House eventually dissolved into a private session for more than an hour before resuming plenary, with Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu presiding over the Committee of the Whole.

Fresh disagreements erupted during clause-by-clause consideration of the bill. Lawmakers protested when several clauses were taken in bulk rather than individually. Members left their seats, chanting “clause by clause,” and demanded stricter adherence to procedure.

The most contentious debate centred on Clause 60, which addresses electronic transmission of results. The clause provides that presiding officers shall electronically transmit results from polling units to the INEC Result Viewing (IREV) portal after signing Form EC8A. However, it also includes a proviso that if electronic transmission fails due to communication challenges, the manually completed Form EC8A would remain the primary source for collation and declaration.

Opposition lawmakers objected strongly to the fallback provision. Bamidele Salam (PDP, Osun) proposed retaining only the subsection mandating electronic transmission and removing the caveat allowing manual forms to prevail in cases of failure. The Minority Leader, Kingsley Chinda (PDP, Rivers), seconded the amendment.

Although the amendment initially appeared to attract majority support during a voice vote, it was subjected to a second vote following protests and was ultimately defeated. Additional proposals — including one by Etanabene Benedict (LP, Delta) that electronically transmitted results should prevail in cases of discrepancy — were also rejected.

Following the persistent shutdown of the amendments, opposition lawmakers walked out of the chamber in protest and proceeded to the press centre. Led by Chinda, they accused members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of prioritising partisan interests over national interest.

“Our position is that elections shall and should be transmitted electronically,” Chinda told reporters. “We are against any clause that would give room for micro-manipulation, rigging, or leeway for any untoward act.”

He alleged that the amendments were voted down along party lines and claimed the process lacked patriotism. Some lawmakers made unverified allegations that money had influenced certain votes, though no specific names were mentioned.

Meanwhile, outside the National Assembly complex, protesters continued to demand mandatory electronic transmission of election results in the new electoral framework. Security presence around the complex was significantly increased, with soldiers and other security personnel deployed in larger numbers than on previous days.

Demonstrators questioned the heavy security deployment, insisting that their protest remained peaceful and constitutionally protected. The coalition of protesters — comprising governance advocates, labour leaders, youth groups and electoral reform campaigners — warned that weakening electronic transmission safeguards could erode democratic legitimacy and deepen political instability.

As lawmakers adjourned to February 24, the divide between the majority and opposition — and between the legislature and sections of the public — appears sharper than ever. For many observers, the convergence of parliamentary conflict and sustained street protests signals a rare moment in which both civil society and opposition politicians are aligned on the same issue: the integrity of Nigeria’s next general election.