Before We Protest, Let us Think

Everyone has the right to protest. That part is not in dispute. Protest is democracy breathing.

But let us slow down a bit and be honest with ourselves about what is happening at the National Assembly right now.

The Senate did not ban electronic transmission of results. They did not say elections must be rigged. They did not wake up one morning and decide to “destroy democracy.” What they did was refuse to pass a rigid, one size fits all provision that mandates real time electronic transmission from every polling unit in a country as complex as Nigeria.

And that matters.

Nigeria is not just Abuja, Lagos, or parts of Anambra with strong network coverage. We have riverine communities, border villages, forests, hills, places where even making a phone call is an adventure. To pretend those realities do not exist is not progressive. It is performative.

The Senate’s position, whether people like it or not, is rooted in practical governance. They want INEC to deploy technology where it works, improve infrastructure, strengthen backups, and avoid a situation where elections are automatically invalidated because of network failure rather than the will of voters.

That is not anti democracy. That is caution.

What worries me, to be honest, is how quickly we now equate disagreement with bad faith. If you question the method, you are suddenly an enemy of the people. If you ask about logistics, security, hacking risks, or rural inclusion, you are accused of planning to rig 2027. That kind of thinking is dangerous.

Law making is not activism. It requires patience, foresight, and an understanding that laws must work for the entire country, not just the loudest voices online or at the gates of the National Assembly.

Yes, technology should be part of our elections. Absolutely. But forcing a fragile system into law without fixing the underlying problems is how you create chaos, endless litigations, and disputed outcomes.

Sometimes leadership is not about yielding to pressure. It is about taking decisions that are unpopular today but stable tomorrow.

We can demand better elections without burning down the institutions meant to deliver them.

Democracy is not weakened by debate. It is weakened when we stop thinking.

May Nigeria win 🇳🇬🇳🇬🇳🇬