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El-Rufai support protesters, blasts senate over Electoral Reform.
A former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has said he would have joined the protest led by former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, against the National Assembly if he had been in the country.
El-Rufai, who spoke during an interview on Trust TV on Monday, faulted the Senate for altering provisions on electronic transmission of election results in the proposed Electoral Act amendments, insisting that real-time transmission is essential to preventing manipulation.
According to him, the delay and resistance surrounding the reform are politically motivated and aimed at preserving electoral advantages.
“It’s unfortunate I have not been able to return to Nigeria, I would have joined Mr. Peter Obi and other party leaders in protesting to the National Assembly to restore the real-time and mandatory transmission of results from the polling unit,” El-Rufai said.
He argued that adopting real-time electronic transmission would significantly reduce rigging and improve the credibility of elections, accusing the ruling party of opposing the measure for survival reasons.
The former governor also noted that while the House of Representatives had aligned with the reform, the Senate was yet to fully embrace it.
PUNCH Online had reported that Obi on Monday led hundreds of protesters to the National Assembly Complex in Abuja to oppose the Senate’s decision to remove the phrase “real-time” from provisions on electronic transmission of results in the Electoral Act Amendment Bill.
The protest, tagged “Occupy the National Assembly,” was organised by members of the Obidient Movement and pro-democracy groups, who said the lawmakers’ action was a calculated move to weaken electoral transparency ahead of the 2027 general elections.
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