Human Rights and Social Justice Advocate and former Country Director of ActionAid Nigeria, Ene Obi, has called on Nigerians to rise up against the Electoral Amendment Act signed into law by President Bola Tinubu, describing the speed of the signing as unprecedented and suspicious.
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Obi made this call on Friday on Arise Television’s ‘Morning Show’, wondering why the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), with 30 governors, is still afraid of real-time electronic transmission of election results.
Obi expressed concern that civil society organisations alone cannot fight the battle.
“Civil Society Organisations are overwhelmed. We need citizens to rise up. The National Assembly’s excuse on network coverage insults Nigerians’ intelligence.
“The nation’s future is at stake; we’re weakening the system we thought we had strengthened.”
Obi contrasted the speed of this signing with previous electoral reforms.
“This is one of the fastest bills ever signed into law. I remember the 2022 Electoral Act. From 2015 down to 2022, it took 7 times for it to go to President Muhammad Buhari, of blessed memory, to sign the bill into law. And even when he was signing it, there were so many contradictions.
“A friend called me from the National Assembly to tell me that, ‘you guys are on the street, but the president is not going to sign that law because we gave him what he wanted, but we put a clause there.’ He signed it, they felt he was stubborn for signing it.”
Obi dismissed claims about network challenges.
“I don’t want to even go there, because the network is not an issue. They know what they are doing. They know the network is not the issue. Because before the BVAS authenticates you, it accredits and brings you on board, and you say that same BVAS cannot transmit.
“We are saying the BVAS, the configuration, it can upload right there and then, and everybody can see it. Don’t tell us about glitches.”
Responding to Minister of Aviation Festus Keyamo’s statement that civil society activists do not speak for Nigerians, Obi fired back.
“It’s unfortunate that someone like Keyamo can say that. He was on this side before. We are not arrogating anything to ourselves. When we speak, we speak for the voiceless who have spoken to us.
“We went across the country. We trained people. We get to interact. We take their voices. Their demands are our demands because we don’t have any demands for ourselves. We live here.”
Obi compared Nigeria’s situation with India.
“In India, we have nine hundred and eighty million registered voters. About six hundred and forty million voted in the last election. That very day, the election, everything came out.
“From the long history, Nigerians had advocated for even electronic voting, which you can see live in terms of the progression of the elections.”
Obi highlighted the low voter turnout.
“Only eight million people voted to elect a president. So, in the presidential count, what brought Tinubu to power is eight million people, when we have more than a hundred million who are qualified that are supposed to vote or be voted for.
“It’s a very difficult task that you are giving the civil society.”
On the next steps, Obi stated that civil society organisations are planning their response.
“We were out there and we are having a meeting very soon. When that meeting is done, of course, you get to know. But I want to say that mobilizing for 2023 election was very, very stressful, and now we are going back to mobilise when you are telling them that they are not sure their votes will count.
“When you improve the system, it builds trust. Nobody stays in power forever. If you cannot make the system better, if you cannot prepare the state better than you met it, then you’re a failure. We are facing a failure of a generation.”
Obi criticised the suggestion that aggrieved parties should go to court.
“We will focus seriously on what the judiciary is doing. ‘Go to court’ should not be the answer with almost a trillion Naira budget that INEC has been given. Don’t tell us to go to court, because the court is not the one that should decide the election.”
Obi noted that the FCT Area Council elections would be the first test of the new law.
“That will be the first litmus test, because it will now have to be conducted under the Electoral Act 2026, happening just a few days after that bill became law. It’s when the law is tested that we see the outcomes.”
Obi described the dire situation of Nigerians.
“Nigerians are at an existential period. They are in a survival mode. When you have more than one hundred and thirty-nine million Nigerians living below the poverty line, you weaponise poverty and you take some money and you are offering them to vote for you.
“Nigerians, stand upright for yourselves. Stand upright for Nigeria. We need to continue to work. We will continue to struggle. The struggle continues.”
Obi urged Nigerians to take responsibility.
“The office of citizenship is the highest office in the land, because we can decide who goes there and who will not go there. Even with all the rules that they have made, if every Nigerian can come out and make sure they vote, they’re able to register.
“Don’t leave it to the civil society. We observe. We will continue to tell because we don’t want to give up hope. If we give up hope, everybody will lie down.”
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