2027: ADC Vows Mass Mobilisation over Electoral Act Amendment

…Says Tinubu Signed ‘Death Warrant’ on Credible Elections

By Franklin Adole
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has vowed to mobilise Nigerians nationwide ahead of the 2027 general elections, accusing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of undermining democratic credibility by assenting to the amended Electoral Act.

In a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the opposition party criticised what it described as the “alarmingly speedy” approval of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill despite public objections from civil society groups and opposition stakeholders.

“With the alarmingly speedy assent to the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has signed the death warrant on credible elections and, by so doing, set Nigeria’s democracy back by several decades,” the statement said.

The ADC argued that although the President claimed the amendment would consolidate Nigeria’s democracy, the changes instead introduce ambiguity and grant excessive discretion in the collation and transmission of election results.

“In signing the bill into law, the President claimed to be consolidating the country’s democracy, but in reality, he has simply corrupted it further by introducing ambiguity and permitting excessive discretion in the collation and transmission process,” the party stated.

The opposition party also questioned the urgency with which the amendment was passed by the National Assembly and signed into law, suggesting that the speed of the process raises doubts about the ruling party’s confidence in a transparent electoral contest.

“It is quite instructive that despite claiming to control more than 30 state governments and commanding a majority in both chambers of the National Assembly, the extraordinary haste with which this amendment was passed and signed raises the unavoidable question of why a government that wrongly boasts about being so politically dominant would rush changes to the electoral framework unless it harbours deep-seated doubts about submitting itself to a truly transparent and competitive process,” the statement added.

The ADC expressed concern over the implications of the amendment for future elections, warning that the absence of firm guarantees of electronic transparency could fuel public mistrust in the electoral process.

“In the absence of firm guarantees of electronic transparency, vigilant citizens may feel compelled to physically safeguard their votes to prevent discrepancies between polling units and collation centres, as has been witnessed in the past,” the party said.

Declaring its readiness to challenge any perceived erosion of electoral integrity, the ADC affirmed that it would deploy lawful and constitutional means to defend what it described as the sanctity of Nigeria’s democracy.

“As a duly constituted political party in the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the ADC affirms in the strongest and clearest possible terms that we are ready, willing, and prepared to defend the sanctity of Nigeria’s democracy using every constitutional and lawful means available to us.

“We will mobilise Nigerians toward vigilance, toward lawful participation, and toward unity in defence of their constitutional rights. We stand firm in the belief that the will of the people must prevail and that no law, however hastily enacted, can extinguish the democratic aspirations of a free nation,” the statement concluded.