Businessman Isaac Fayose has said that Monday’s protest at the National Assembly is only a warning and not the main action.
Earlier on Monday, some Nigerians gathered at the National Assembly in Abuja. They were protesting and demanding that the electronic transmission of election results should be made compulsory by law.
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Although the Senate has said several times that it did not reject electronic transmission of results, the protesters say lawmakers must clearly include the words “real-time electronic transmission” in the new Electoral Act.
On Sunday, the Senate announced that it would hold an emergency meeting on Tuesday to discuss the issue.
Speaking to journalists during the protest, Isaac Fayose said the protest may continue depending on what the Senate decides at the emergency sitting.
According to him, Nigerians know what usually happens in collation centres. He said results are often changed overnight, just like garri soaked in water that swells and turns into eba by morning.
Fayose said Nigerians want electronic transmission of results to ensure transparency. He added that lawmakers are already trying to block it, but the protesters are waiting to see what happens next.
“This protest is only a warning,” he said. “Let us wait till tomorrow.”
He also said Nigeria has spent close to one trillion naira on election technology, and it would be wrong to abandon electronic transmission now.
He described such a move as throwing the country’s money into the gutter, insisting that it must not be allowed to happen.