Former Rivers State Governor and ex-Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of deliberately resisting the mandatory real-time electronic transmission of election results out of fear that it would lead to electoral defeats in future polls.
Speaking amid nationwide controversy over the recent amendments to the Electoral Act, Amaechi called on opposition parties—including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), African Democratic Congress (ADC), and others—to unite and mount a strong public protest against what he described as an attempt by one party to entrench dominance over Nigeria’s electoral process.
“I believe that the opposition parties should come out, PDP, ADC, everybody should be out, to protest against the attempt of one party,” Amaechi said in an interview on Tuesday, February 10, 2026.
Addressing concerns that protests could be hijacked by opposition elements, Amaechi turned the question back on the ruling party. “If we come out, and they say the opposition has hijacked the protest, what is APC doing? Are they not hijacking? What are they afraid of?” he asked. “I thought they said they have 31 governors. Tinubu is not Jonathan. The only way a good politician will know he has done well is by the people.”
Amaechi expressed bewilderment at why the APC, which controls a significant number of states and has benefited from high-profile defections from opposition parties in recent years, would still feel threatened by transparent electoral mechanisms. He argued that genuine confidence in performance should translate into support for reforms that guarantee free, fair, and verifiable elections.
The former governor also voiced deep skepticism about the willingness of Senate President Godswill Akpabio or President Bola Tinubu to respond meaningfully to public concerns. He maintained that opposition parties, civil society organizations, and ordinary citizens would sustain pressure until the rejected clause—mandating real-time electronic transmission of polling unit results to INEC’s Result Viewing Portal (IReV)—is reinstated or clarified in law.
Amaechi’s comments come as the Senate held an emergency plenary session on Tuesday, February 10, 2026, to deliberate on the contentious amendments to the Electoral Act 2022 (Repeal and Re-enactment) Amendment Bill, 2026. The upper chamber last week rejected a proposed amendment to Clause 60 that would have made real-time electronic transmission compulsory, opting instead to retain the existing discretionary language that allows INEC to prescribe the method of transmission.
The decision has sparked widespread public anger, with critics arguing that it removes a key safeguard against result manipulation, delays, or tampering during collation—issues that have historically undermined trust in Nigeria’s elections.
Outside the National Assembly complex in Abuja, security was significantly tightened on Tuesday. Operatives of the Nigeria Police Force, supported by other agencies, blocked major access roads leading to the Three Arms Zone. Despite the restrictions, protesters—coordinated by human rights activist Aisha Yesufu and various civil society organizations—continued their demonstration that began on Monday, February 9, 2026. Participants carried placards and chanted slogans demanding “Electoral Reform Now,” “Restore Real-Time Transmission,” and “Our Votes Must Count.”
The protest has drawn participation from a broad coalition, including youth groups, professional associations, labour unions, and prominent opposition figures. Many have vowed to maintain the sit-in until lawmakers address the core demand for statutory guarantees of electronic transmission.
Amaechi’s intervention adds significant weight to the growing calls for electoral transparency, given his stature as a former two-term governor, key figure in the formation of the APC in 2013–2015, and one of the most prominent critics of the current administration from within the party’s former progressive wing.
As deliberations continue inside the Senate chamber and protests persist outside, the controversy underscores deep divisions over the future of Nigeria’s electoral framework ahead of the 2027 general elections.
