Why I didn’t join Peter Obi at Occupy NASS protest – El-Rufai

Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has explained why he did not participate in the recent Occupy National Assembly protest alongside former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi.

El-Rufai said he would have joined the demonstration if he had been in Nigeria, stressing that the push for real-time electronic transmission of election results is critical to stopping electoral manipulation.

The former governor made the remark during an interview on Trust TV, where he criticised the Senate’s handling of the proposed electoral reforms and suggested political interests were behind the delay.

According to reports, El-Rufai argued that the adoption of real-time transmission would make election rigging far more difficult, while accusing the ruling party of resisting the reform for political survival.

He maintained that the House of Representatives had already supported the reform push, but the Senate was yet to align with the move, amid mounting pressure from political stakeholders and civil society groups demanding stronger electoral transparency.

El-Rufai’s comments come as opposition figures and activists continue to mount pressure on the National Assembly to strengthen provisions around electronic transmission of election results ahead of future elections.

Peter Obi had earlier joined protesters at the National Assembly, insisting that strengthening electronic transmission is key to restoring public trust in Nigeria’s electoral process.

The debate over electronic transmission has remained one of the most controversial electoral reform issues in Nigeria, with supporters insisting it will boost transparency, while critics raise concerns about infrastructure, logistics and legal interpretation