The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has stated that the results of the by-elections held on Saturday, August 16, across 13 states and 16 constituencies do not accurately reflect the strength of the coalition.
TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports that the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi stated this in a statement released on Sunday.
The ADC expressed serious concerns regarding the conduct of the by-elections, claiming that the elections were marred by widely reported instances of violence, vote buying, manipulation, and other administrative issues.
The party asserted that this election process highlighted the decline of Nigeria’s electoral integrity under President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
According to Abdullahi, the ADC did not field candidates for most of the positions contested in the by-election, hence, the outcome can’t be used to judge the influence of the party going into the 2027 elections.
“What Nigerians witnessed in yesterday’s by-elections is yet another reminder that under the current administration, democracy itself, just like the economy and our national security, continues to decline under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the APC.
“When elections are marred by widespread violence, when ballots are openly and brazenly exchanged for money, when opposition candidates are excluded without explanation, and when the very institutions entrusted to safeguard democracy become complicit, then the vote of the ordinary Nigerian ceases to have meaning.
“In some states, nearly 300 thugs armed with rifles, knives, and cutlasses were arrested on election day. Is this democracy—or banditry disguised as voting?
“In some states, whole polling units were cancelled due to ballot box snatching and the open intimidation of voters. If citizens cannot go to the polls without fear of assault, then the most basic covenant between the state and its people has already broken down.
“In one state, a vote-buyer was caught with N25.9 million intended to procure and corrupt the will of the people. In another, election officials were themselves implicated in similar inducements. This is no longer isolated malpractice; it is fast becoming the political culture of our electoral process under the APC.
“After so many years, the failure of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) in some states has once again raised questions about the Commission’s competence, sincerity, and perhaps, complicity. Nigerians deserve elections that commands the implicit confidence of every citizen and respect of the rest of the world. INEC must not be allowed to turn excuses to a code of conduct.
“The bigger picture that we must all remember is that for better or worse, these by-elections represent the clearest indication of a dress rehearsal for 2027. If violence, vote buying, candidate intimidation and exclusion, and collusion between security forces and compromised election officials become the new normal, then Nigerians and the international community must brace themselves.
“The ADC therefore calls on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to rise above his partisan interest and for once, demonstrate genuine leadership by ensuring that Nigerians can cast their votes freely and safely. The President must recognise that no government can claim legitimacy if it consistently presides over elections that citizens and the international community perceive as fraudulent.”