February 10, (THEWILL) — There was tension at the National Assembly Complex, Abuja, on Tuesday, as police operatives clashed with protesters during the second day of the #OccupyNASS demonstration, with former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, joining activists demanding amendments to the Electoral Act ahead of the 2027 general election.
The protesters are seeking comprehensive electoral reforms, including the mandatory real-time electronic transmission of election results to strengthen transparency and public trust in Nigeria’s elections.
THEWILL recalls that on Monday, former presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) and chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Peter Obi, joined the protest, lending his support to calls for electoral reforms and urging lawmakers to enshrine real-time electronic transmission of results in law.
However, the Tuesday protest was met with heavy security deployment, as police barricaded all major entrances to the National Assembly and prevented demonstrators from gaining access to present their demands to lawmakers.
As security operatives blocked access to the complex, protesters chanted in unison, “How many people police go kill o, how many people police go kill,” voicing anger over what they described as intimidation and excessive use of force by the police.
Addressing the crowd at the protest ground, Amaechi spoke on governance, corruption and his decision to leave the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the ADC, insisting that the country’s economic situation had deteriorated.
“Is life easier now than when I was in the APC? Life is worse now than during the former President Buhari regime. Even though we were planning to remove the subsidy, we had better plans. The corruption here is too much. They are stealing — I heard there’s a 16 billion dollar road project awarded without due process. I left APC already, and they will not win”, Amaechi said.
Also speaking, rights activist Aisha Yesufu criticised the police for what she described as misplaced priorities, accusing them of suppressing peaceful citizens instead of tackling insecurity across the country.
“Nigerian police, una no dey shame?. They sending you to come and fight innocent citizens who want their voices to be heard, when there are terrorists to kill, shame no dey catch una? During kidnapping, they won’t see you people”, Yesufu said.
She further accused the police of enabling systemic oppression, warning that some officers had become tools against the citizens they are meant to protect.
“When we bind and cast and pray against enemies of this country, we would have to include police that have made themselves a tool of oppression against the people,” she said, adding, “If you are a police man or a police woman and you’re praying against Satan, please yourself.”
Despite the standoff with security agencies, protesters vowed to sustain pressure on the National Assembly until their demands are addressed, insisting that credible elections remain central to Nigeria’s democratic future.
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