Electoral Act Protest: We Are Just Beginning, Credible Elections Not Negotiable – Ex-Minister, Dalung

Former Minister of Sports, Solomon Dalung, has described the protest over the Senate’s rejection of real-time electronic transmission of election results as only the beginning.

Dalung stated this on Tuesday during the second day of the protest, saying that free, fair and credible elections in Nigeria are no longer negotiable.

The ex-minister, who was at the protest said he was there to lend his support to young Nigerians who had come out to send a clear message to the National Assembly.

He added that the process of amendment going on in the National Assembly must reflect the whims and caprices of the Nigerian people.

Recall that the Senate had turned down a proposed change to Clause 60, Subsection 3, of the Electoral Amendment Bill that aimed to compel the electronic transmission of election results.

The Senate action had stirred outrage from various quarters of the country, leading to the protest by Nigerian youths and prominent politicians like Peter Obi, Rotimi Amaechi and others.

“This protest is about defending the Nigerian vote and ensuring real-time transmission of election results

“Free, fair and credible elections in Nigeria are no longer negotiable. The National Assembly must deliver real-time transmission of results that reflect the will of the Nigerian people, not political manipulation.

“Senate must concur and do the needful so that we can have real time transmission of results. That is just the beginning. We are going to police that transmission to the polling unit so that we are not out-smarted just like Mahmoud did after rigging the 2023 election,” he said.