RismadarVoice Reporters, February 10, 2026
Former Minister of Transportation and ex-Governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, has explained why he attended the “Occupy the National Assembly” protest in Abuja alongside his son.
Speaking with journalists on Tuesday, Amaechi said he came with his son, a medical doctor, as a precaution in case the protest turned violent and participants sustained injuries.
According to him, leaders should not observe protests from a distance but physically stand with the people during critical moments.
“I came with my son because he is a doctor, should anybody is injured,” Amaechi said. “Leaders must be present. You can’t sit in your house and be giving instructions while people are on the streets.”
Amaechi called on Nigerians to rise up against what he described as attempts to undermine the electoral process, urging opposition political parties to take to the streets to protest the Senate’s position on the Electoral Act amendment.
He accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of opposing real-time electronic transmission of election results because of fear of losing elections.
“I believe the opposition parties should come out; PDP, ADC, everybody should be out to protest against the attempt of one party,” he said.
“If we come out and they say the opposition has hijacked the protest, what is the APC doing? Are they not hijacking? What are they afraid of?” Amaechi asked, adding that the only true measure of political success is the will of the people.
He said opposition parties and civil society organisations would continue the protests even if the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and President Bola Tinubu ignore the demands.
Amaechi also compared current living conditions with those during the Muhammadu Buhari administration, under which he served, saying the situation had worsened.
“It is worse now than it was then. In Buhari’s time, even though we were planning to remove subsidy, there were better plans for citizens,” he said, while alleging that corruption has increased under the current administration.
Asked whether President Tinubu could win the 2027 presidential election, Amaechi said it would be impossible for the incumbent to secure victory, insisting that “the will of the people must prevail.”
Meanwhile, former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, on Monday joined the protesters, adding his voice to calls for electoral transparency and credibility.
The protest comes amid growing controversy over the proposed amendment of the Electoral Act ahead of the 2027 general elections, particularly regarding whether the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should be mandated to transmit election results electronically in real time from polling units.
While many Nigerians and civil society groups have demanded that real-time electronic transmission be made compulsory, the Senate has argued that the provision should remain discretionary, citing logistical and infrastructural challenges. Protesters, however, insist that removing the “real-time” requirement creates loopholes that could undermine the credibility of future elections.
