Protesters were reported to have gathered at the entrance of the National Assembly in Abuja on Monday for the Occupy National Assembly protest over the Senate’s stance on electronic transmission of election results.

Security operatives from the police, army and civil defence corps were said to have barricaded the complex, while members of civil society groups, opposition figures and women’s organisations staged the protest from the gate after marching from the Federal Secretariat.

Former Labour Party presidential candidate and ADC member, Peter Obi, was quoted as saying the Senate should make real-time electronic transmission of results mandatory to prevent a repeat of glitches witnessed during the 2023 elections.

The protest followed outrage over the Senate’s passage of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2026 without approving a clause that would have made real-time electronic transmission compulsory.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio later explained that the Senate did not reject electronic transmission but only removed the phrase real time to give INEC flexibility in the event of technical challenges, a position former Senate President David Mark reportedly countered by urging lawmakers not to decide for the electoral body.

Amid the controversy, the Senate announced it would reconvene for an emergency plenary on Tuesday, February 10, 2026, although no official reason was given for the meeting.