Former Rivers State governor Rotimi Amaechi has joined protesters in Abuja as demonstrations against the Senate’s decision to reject mandatory electronic transmission of election results continued for a second day.
The protests, held at the National Assembly Complex, began on Monday, with one faction led by Mr Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election.
Mr Amaechi, a senior figure in the African Democratic Congress (ADC), said political leaders must be at the forefront of public protests and prepared to make personal sacrifices.
He called on Nigerians to resist the Senate’s position and appealed to opposition parties to present a united front against what he described as an effort by the ruling party to weaken electoral transparency.
Mr Amaechi alleged that the All Progressives Congress (APC) was opposing electronic transmission of results because it feared losing elections.
“If we come out and they say the opposition has hijacked the protest, what is the APC doing?” he asked, adding that the ruling party had little to fear given the steady inflow of defectors from other parties.
He said opposition parties and civil society organisations would continue the demonstrations, regardless of reactions from Senate President Godswill Akpabio or President Bola Tinubu.
Comparing the present situation with the Buhari administration, Mr Amaechi said economic conditions had deteriorated and alleged that corruption had worsened under the current government.
Asked whether President Tinubu could win the 2027 presidential election, Mr Amaechi said it would be impossible for the president to secure re-election, adding that “the will of the people must prevail”.
