Amaechi Joins Protest Over Rejected E-Transmission Clause, Criticizes APC’s Position
Former Rivers State Governor and ex-Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi joined hundreds of protesters at the National Assembly complex on Tuesday, demanding the reinstatement of mandatory real-time electronic transmission of election results in the recently passed Electoral Act Amendment Bill.
Amaechi, accompanied by his first son—a medical doctor—addressed demonstrators gathered outside the Senate chambers, declaring the protest “about defending the Nigerian vote” amid growing public outrage over the Senate’s February 4 rejection of Clause 60(3), which would have mandated instantaneous transmission of polling unit results to INEC’s public portal.
Speaking to journalists, Amaechi accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of deliberately blocking electronic transmission provisions out of fear, stating, “The APC is afraid of electronic transmission because it removes the opportunity to manipulate results during collation.”
While stopping short of directly naming President Tinubu, his remarks represented a striking departure for a former Buhari-era cabinet minister who had previously been aligned with the party establishment.
The protest—entering its second day—follows the Senate’s passage of the Electoral Act 2022 (Repeal and Re-enactment) Amendment Bill 2026 without mandatory e-transmission language, despite overwhelming public testimony during nationwide hearings supporting the provision.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio had defended the omission, citing technical feasibility concerns—a position Amaechi and other protesters dismissed as pretextual given INEC’s successful deployment of the IReV portal during the 2022 governorship elections.
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Amaechi’s presence lent significant political weight to the demonstrations, which have drawn participants from the Labour Party, Social Democratic Party, civil society groups, and ordinary citizens.
Some reports indicate his recent political realignment with the African Democratic Congress (ADC), though party officials have not formally announced his membership.
The development marks a notable fracture within Nigeria’s political elite ahead of the 2027 general elections. Amaechi—who served as Minister of Transportation from 2015 to 2023 and was once considered a presidential aspirant within the APC—has increasingly distanced himself from the party leadership amid internal tensions.