Former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, on Tuesday led a protest at the National Assembly against the Senate’s rejection of real-time electronic transmission of election results.
Amaechi was joined at the protest ground by his first son, a medical doctor, whom he said was present to attend to any protester who might require medical attention.
The former Rivers State governor is the second chieftain of the coalition-led African Democratic Congress (ADC) to join the protest.
Recall that on Monday, former Anambra State governor and ADC presidential aspirant, Peter Obi, also joined the demonstration, urging the National Assembly to allow real-time transmission of election results.
Speaking to journalists at the protest ground, Amaechi said he deliberately came with his son to counter claims that politicians often push others to protest while their families remain abroad.
“There are those who say we, the politicians, want protests but our children are overseas. But here is my first son. He is a medical doctor; I brought him here and his job is that if there is injury, he should treat people,” Amaechi said.
As he spoke, his son, dressed in black native attire, stood beside him, smiling.
Amaechi added that leaders must be at the forefront of major protests and be willing to involve their families in struggles for the common good.
On the rejection of electronic transmission, the former minister accused his former party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), of opposing the provision out of fear of losing elections.
“I believe that 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 APC doing? Are they not hijacking? What are they afraid of?” he added.
Amaechi further stated that opposition parties and civil society organisations would sustain the protests, even if Senate President Godswill Akpabio and President Bola Tinubu choose to ignore them.
He also compared the current living conditions in the country with the period he served as minister, saying things have worsened.
“It is worse now than it was then. In Buhari’s time, at least, even though we were planning to remove subsidy, we had better plans for citizens,” he said.
The protest followed public outrage over the Senate’s decision to remove a clause mandating real-time electronic transmission of results from polling units in the ongoing amendment of the Electoral Act.
The House of Representatives had earlier passed its version of the bill, making electronic transmission of results compulsory.
