PRESS STATEMENT: RSM Condemns Police Violence against Protesters at the National Assembly Complex
PRESS STATEMENT
Revolutionary Socialist Movement (RSM)
Date: 18 February 2026
RSM CONDEMNS POLICE VIOLENCE AGAINST PROTESTERS AT THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY COMPLEX
The Revolutionary Socialist Movement (RSM) strongly condemns the brutal and unjustified police attacks on peaceful protesters at the National Assembly who gathered to demand the full electronic transmission of votes in Nigeria’s electoral process. On February 17, 2026. The repeated use of tear gas and aggressive force by officers of the Nigeria Police Force against Nigerians exercising their democratic right to demand electoral transparency is a dark stain on our democracy.
The right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression is firmly anchored in Section 40 and Section 39 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended). These are fundamental rights that do not require “permission” or “favor” from the police to be exercised. Police actions suggest a dangerous descent into authoritarianism where the state views its own citizens as enemies for simply demanding that their voices be heard, something that will benefit every citizen, including the rank and file of the police force.
It is unacceptable that citizens exercising their constitutional right to peaceful assembly were met with tear gas, intimidation, harassment, and physical assault. The demand for transparent and credible elections, including the electronic transmission of results, is not a crime. It is a democratic right.
The suppression of protesters at the National Assembly is a clear sign of a political establishment that fears accountability and transparency. Instead of responding to legitimate public demands for electoral reform, the state has chosen repression. This is a dangerous path that undermines democratic development and deepens public distrust in governance.
The insistence on electoral transparency reflects the growing frustration of workers, youth, and oppressed people who are tired of manipulated processes that deny them real political power. Electronic transmission of votes is a basic step toward reducing rigging, enhancing credibility, and restoring confidence in the electoral system. We are opposed to the Electoral Act that permits both manual and electronic transmission of votes.
Citizens who assembled to insist on transparent and credible elections were met with repression instead of dialogue. The use of force against peaceful demonstrators is a violation of democratic rights and an attack on the Nigerian people’s struggle for accountable governance.
The demand for electronic transmission of votes is possible and we joined millions of electorates to stand by that. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) operates with a budget of approximately ₦1 trillion in recent electoral cycles, running into trillions of naira. With such enormous public resources allocated to managing elections, it is indefensible to claim that electronic transmission of results cannot be fully implemented.
If ₦1 trillion cannot guarantee transparent real-time election result transmission, then serious questions must be asked about priorities, accountability, and political will.
Electronic transmission is a basic.modern democratic safeguard. It reduces manipulation, enhances public confidence, and strengthens the integrity of the electoral process. What is lacking is not funding, but commitment to genuine electoral reforms.
Instead of attacking protesters, the authorities should be addressing the legitimate concerns of Nigerians who demand transparency in how their votes are counted and announced.
RSM stands in solidarity with all protesters who were attacked and injured. We demand:
- An immediate end to police brutality against peaceful demonstrators.
- The unconditional release of any arrested protesters.
- An independent investigation into the conduct of the police officers involved.
- The full implementation of the electronic transmission of election results at all levels.
We call on labour unions, civil society organizations, student bodies, and progressive forces across the country to resist any attempt to silence democratic demands through violence.
We stand in total solidarity with the peaceful protesters. The Tinubu-led government must be reminded that you can disperse a crowd, but you cannot silence the collective will of a people determined to see a better, more transparent nation.
Democracy cannot grow where dissent is crushed. The struggle for electoral transparency is part of the broader struggle for social justice and genuine people’s power.
The Revolutionary Socialist Movement remains committed to organizing and mobilizing the masses to defend democratic rights and to challenge all forms of state repression. We call on all Nigerian people to join the Africa Action Congress (AAC) as a genuine alternative to the present rotten capitalist political party that has turned the country into chaos. A new Nigeria and electoral system is possible if we end the rule of present corrupt politicians and fight for a working people’s government where the needs of the people are placed as a top priority.
Signed:
National Secretariat
Salako Kayode
Publicity Secretary
Revolutionary Socialist Movement (RSM)