Human rights activist and former presidential aspirant, Omoyele Sowore, has condemned the Nigeria Police Force for dispersing demonstrators with teargas at the entrance of the National Assembly on Tuesday, describing the move as an assault on democratic freedoms.
The confrontation followed a protest staged at the gate of the National Assembly in Abuja.
The demonstrators had gathered to oppose the Senate’s endorsement of both electronic transmission and manual collation of election results in the ongoing amendment of the Electoral Act.
Tensions escalated when some protesters attempted to push past security barriers in a bid to gain access to the complex.
In response, officers deployed teargas canisters to disperse the crowd, triggering panic and forcing many to retreat from the premises.
Addressing journalists at the scene, Sowore accused the police of using excessive force against citizens who were exercising their constitutional rights.
He alleged that some of the teargas canisters used were unusually forceful, claiming that at least two individuals collapsed during the chaos.
According to him, the action of the security operatives amounted to hostility toward civic participation. He argued that Nigerians have the right to observe legislative proceedings, especially during crucial deliberations such as the Electoral Act amendment.
Sowore maintained that the protesters were not attempting to disrupt activities but were seeking entry into the public gallery to monitor the emergency session.
He questioned why citizens should be barred from accessing their own parliament when foreign visitors are often granted similar access.
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Despite the police intervention, the protesters insisted they would not back down from their demands, vowing to continue pressing for transparency and public inclusion in legislative processes.