…As Aisha Yesufu Questions Military Presence At Protest

Former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi has joined other protesters as demonstrations against the Senate’s rejection of mandatory electronic transmission of election results continued in Abuja on Tuesday.

The protest, which began on Monday, is opposed to the Senate’s decision to reject real-time electronic transmission of election results.

Amaechi, who attended the protest with his son—a medical doctor—said he brought him along in case the demonstration turns violent and injuries are sustained.

The former Minister of Transportation explained that he came with his son to demonstrate his belief that during major protests, leaders should be at the forefront with their families.

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) called on Nigerians to rise up, adding that all opposition parties ought to be on the streets to protest the Senate’s decision.

Amaechi alleged that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is opposed to electronic transmission of election results because it fears losing elections.

“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.

“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? 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.”

He questioned why the party would be afraid, despite having several opposition governors and prominent politicians defecting to its ranks.

He further stated that while Senate President Godswill Akpabio and President Bola Tinubu may ignore the demands of Nigerians, opposition parties and civil society organisations would persist until the decision is reversed.

Meanwhile, operatives of the Nigeria Police Force barricaded major roads leading to the National Assembly, where the Senate is scheduled to hold an emergency plenary session on Tuesday.

The protest is being led by human rights activist Aisha Yusuf, alongside several civil society groups that initiated the demonstration on Monday.

Meanwhile, Human rights activist, Aisha Yesufu, has renewed calls for mandatory real-time electronic transmission of election results, while questioning the deployment of soldiers to protests at the National Assembly in Abuja.

Yesufu spoke on Tuesday at the protest ground in Abuja, where demonstrators gathered under the “Occupy National Assembly” campaign to oppose the Senate’s rejection of a clause mandating real-time electronic transmission of election results.

“All we are asking for is real-time electronic transmission of the electoral results. We are here, and we are waiting for the lawmakers we sent to Abuja to pass the bill the way it should be passed. All citizens are asking for is electronic transmission, real-time. I do not see any reason why that is a problem,” Yesufu said.

The activist also criticised the presence of soldiers at the protest venue, arguing that their deployment against peaceful demonstrators was unconstitutional.

“To every soldier that you brought here, know that you are here unconstitutionally because your job description does not include being here against protesters. Before you pull that trigger or throw that canister, ask yourself: Is it constitutional or unconstitutional?” she said.

Yesufu referenced past security failures and questioned why troops were deployed to the protest instead of areas facing terrorist threats.

“There are soldiers that should be in Kwara defending the people, yet they are here. Terrorists threatened citizens yesterday. The last time they did, over 200 people were killed. They operated from sunset to sunrise,” she said.

However, operatives of the Nigeria Police Force barricaded major roads leading to the National Assembly complex ahead of an emergency plenary session scheduled for Tuesday.

The protest, which began on Monday, is being led by Yesufu alongside several civil society organisations demanding a reversal of the Senate’s decision on the Electoral Act amendment.

Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai has clarified the reasons behind his reported differences with President Bola Tinubu, stressing that the disagreement was never personal.

Speaking in an interview with Trust TV, El-Rufai said he and Tinubu never had a close personal relationship.

“I was never Tinubu’s friend. We never had a personal relationship like the one I had with General Buhari,” El-Rufai said.

He explained that his initial support for Tinubu was driven by principle rather than personal affinity.

“I was approached by certain Islamic stakeholders from the southwest to support the emergence of a southwest Muslim presidential candidate.

“That is how the discussions started. As governor of Kaduna and one of the founders of APC, I knew there was an understanding that after 8 years of Buhari, power would return to the south. It wasn’t about Tinubu; he was merely an accidental beneficiary,” he stated.

El-Rufai emphasized his commitment to party unity once Tinubu won the APC primaries.

“It is a principle of mine to fight for the candidate of my party in every election, whether I like the candidate or not.

“The fact that he emerged as the party’s candidate meant I would give everything to ensure he won,” he said.

The governor further explained that his differences with Tinubu were rooted in governance philosophy.

“We didn’t fall out; we didn’t find areas of agreement. I am in government to serve the public and deliver results not to enrich myself or appoint cronies.

“The philosophy of this government is contrary to everything I’ve been taught as a Muslim, a northerner, and a Nigerian. They came to govern the cake, to enrich themselves. We are different people parallel lines that will never meet,” El-Rufai said.

He also noted that even if he had accepted Tinubu’s publicly offered ministerial position, he would have left the government due to those fundamental differences in philosophy.

Former presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Adewole Adebayo, has accused the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, of setting Nigeria on fire amid the controversy surrounding the electronic transmission of election results.

There has been outrage after the Senate last week passed the Electoral Act 2022 (Repeal and Reenactment) Amendment Bill 2026 through the third reading.

In passing the bill, the upper chamber did not approve the proposed amendment to Clause 60, Subsection 3, of the bill, which sought to make the electronic transmission of election results mandatory.

But Adebayo, a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, said, “The Senate President, receiving text messages from saboteurs, decided to set the country on fire over a minimum requirement that the elections should be seen by the public to be transparent.”

Adebayo also raised concerns like campaign finance, excessive spending, and buying of votes, among others, that he urged the lawmakers to address.

He asked the senators to remedy the situation by being true representatives of the people.

“The way to salvage the situation is for Godswill Akpabio to remember his humble beginnings, to know that he is a nobody in Nigeria.

“He (Akpabio) is only a somebody today because of the will of the people of Akwa Ibom who made him governor and also sent him to the National Assembly.

“He is not here to come and lecture us. He is not wiser than the next person. Where he is supposed to show leadership, he wants to make himself a mercenary to undermine democracy. The solution is for him to go back and repent,” the SDP chieftain added.

The Senate will hold an emergency plenary session on Tuesday, February 10, 2026.

In a notice sent by the Clerk of the Senate, Emmanuel Odo, the lawmakers were directed to convene at the National Assembly complex at noon on the instruction of Senate President Godswill Akpabio.

The emergency sitting comes amid growing pressure on the upper legislative chamber to revisit clause 60(3) of the electoral amendment bill, which relates to the electronic transmission of election results.