BREAKING: Police Fire Teargas At Peaceful Protesters Demanding Electronic Vote Transmission At National Assembly, Abuja
Armed police officers on Tuesday fired teargas at peaceful protesters gathered at the entrance of the National Assembly complex in Abuja under the banner of #OccupyNASS, disrupting a rally demanding mandatory electronic transmission of election results.
The demonstrators, who had gathered to demand real-time electronic transmission of votes in future elections, were addressing supporters when security operatives moved in to disperse the crowd.
Among those at the protest were former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili; former African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore; and former Social Democratic Party presidential candidate, Adewole Adebayo.
The incident occurred shortly after Ezekwesili, Sowore, and Adebayo urged protesters to remain vigilant and continue advocating for electoral reforms. At that point, police, reportedly led by the National Assembly Divisional Police Officer, deployed anti-riot officers to break up the gathering.
Shortly afterward, teargas canisters were fired into the crowd, causing panic as demonstrators fled, coughing and gasping for breath.
Several protesters sustained injuries in the ensuing chaos.
Despite the initial dispersal, the demonstrators later regrouped near the National Assembly gate in defiance of police action.
Reinforcements, including multiple police Hilux vehicles carrying armed personnel, arrived and fired additional rounds of teargas to break up the crowd.
The protesters were seen fleeing for safety as canisters of tear gas were released.
The protest has drawn activists, civil society groups, and ordinary citizens pressing lawmakers to pass amendments to the Electoral Act that would mandate immediate upload of polling unit results to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) IREV portal.
Chanting “We no go gree, Akpabio pass the bill” and “Our vote must count,” protesters carried placards reading “Don’t alter the bill, pass it” and “Rigging election is a coup.”
Their demands were squarely aimed at Senate President Godswill Akpabio and the National Assembly leadership, whom they accused of stalling reforms critical to electoral transparency.
Activist and publisher Sowore, who joined the demonstration, arrived at the Assembly gate to cheers from supporters who sang and marched alongside him.
His presence further energised the crowd, which vowed to sustain the protest until lawmakers take concrete action.
Security operatives responded with tear gas as tensions escalated at the Assembly entrance, but protesters regrouped and continued chanting, insisting they would not back down.
As of the time of filing this report, the police had not issued an official statement regarding the incident.
