ADC Says Nigeria’s Elections Collapsing Under Tinubu

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has condemned Saturday’s by-elections across 13 states and 16 constituencies, saying the polls exposed the steady collapse of Nigeria’s electoral system under President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

In a statement on Sunday, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, said the elections were marred by violence, vote buying, manipulation, and administrative failures. He stressed that the by-elections should not be seen as a test of the opposition’s strength since ADC fielded no candidates in most constituencies, but rather as a reflection of a system corrupted against the will of the people.

Abdullahi pointed to reports of nearly 300 armed thugs arrested on election day, ballot box snatching, voter intimidation, and cases of officials caught with millions of naira meant for vote buying. He also faulted the repeated failure of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), describing it as proof of incompetence and complicity on the part of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

According to him, the situation suggests that violence, bribery, and collusion between security forces and election officials are fast becoming Nigeria’s new political culture. He warned that if unchecked, the chaos witnessed could serve as a preview of what to expect in 2027.

The ADC called on President Tinubu to demonstrate leadership beyond partisan interests by ensuring Nigerians can vote freely and safely. It also urged INEC to investigate irregularities, punish compromised officials, and rebuild public trust in the system.

The party further appealed to civil society, religious leaders, the media, and the international community not to remain silent, saying Nigeria’s democracy is too vital to Africa and the world to be allowed to collapse under what it described as “electoral banditry.”

It added that the recent decision of a Canadian court declaring both the APC and PDP as terrorist organisations should worry Nigerians, especially given the irregularities that marked the by-elections.