Former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has disclosed the reason he was missing from the protest by former Labour Party presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi, at the National Assembly.

El-Rufai, who is a former member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), said he would have joined should he been in Nigeria at the time of the protest.

He made the comment in an interview on Trust TV as opposition groups protest the rejection for real-time electronic transmission of election results

He had earlier criticised the Senate’s handling of the proposed electoral reforms and suggested political interests were behind the delay.

“It’s unfortunate I have not been able to return to Nigeria, I would have joined Mr. Peter Obi and other party leaders in protesting to the National Assembly to restore the real-time and mandatory transmission of results from the polling unit,” he said.

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.

The former governor maintained that the House of Representatives had already supported the reform push, but the Senate was yet to align with the move.