African Democratic Congress (ADC) has raised concerns over widespread irregularities, including intimidation, corruption, and open vote-buying, during Saturday’s bye-elections across the country.
Gatekeepers News reports that the party urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and international community to safeguard Nigeria’s democracy.
INEC conducted bye-elections on August 16 across 13 states and 16 constituencies to fill vacant legislative seats.
In a statement on Sunday in Abuja by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, ADC described the polls as a rehearsal for 2027 general elections.
The party warned that Nigerians and the global community must not ignore the deterioration of the country’s electoral process under President Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The party alleged that the exercise was marred by widespread violence, vote manipulation, ballot snatching, and other administrative lapses.
It stressed that although it did not field candidates in most constituencies, the irregularities observed reflected the weakness of Nigeria’s electoral system rather than the capacity of the opposition.
According to the statement, incidents of violence and voter intimidation were recorded in several states, with reports of nearly 300 armed thugs arrested on election day.
Entire polling units were cancelled due to ballot box snatching and voter harassment. In one instance, a suspect was caught with ₦25.9 million allegedly meant for vote-buying, while some election officials were accused of engaging in similar acts.
The party also criticised the repeated failure of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), questioning INEC’s competence and impartiality. It warned that such flaws, if left unchecked, could erode public confidence and undermine the credibility of future elections.
ADC urged President Tinubu to rise above partisan politics and demonstrate genuine leadership by ensuring free and fair elections.
It also called on INEC to investigate reported irregularities, sanction compromised officials, and take steps to restore trust in the electoral process.
The party further appealed to the international community, civil society, the media, and faith leaders not to remain silent, stressing that complicity would only embolden those undermining democracy. It warned that unless the sanctity of the ballot is defended, Nigeria risks sliding into electoral banditry.
ADC also referenced a recent ruling by a Canadian court that listed both the PDP and APC as terrorist organisations, describing it as an embarrassment.
