The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has slammed President Bola Tinubu’s decision to sign the Electoral Bill Amendment into law.
The ADC said the move is tantamount to signing “the death warrant on credible elections” in Nigeria.
In a statement issued on Thursday by Bolaji Abdullahi, the National Publicity Secretary of the party, the ADC questioned the speed with which the president approved the bill despite objections from citizens, describing it as part of an alleged scheme to rig the 2027 election.
The party said the development has drawn a battle line between the ruling party and Nigerians, adding that it would mobilise citizens to resist electoral manipulation through constitutional means.
“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 reads.
“At a time when Nigerians across generations and political affiliations are calling for stronger accountability and the full modernization of our electoral system, it is sad to see a president who likes to boast of his pro-democracy credentials hurriedly approving amendments that not only fail to improve citizens’ confidence in the electoral process.
“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.
“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 harbors deep-seethed doubts about submitting itself to a truly transparent and competitive process.
“By refusing to slow down, listen, and meaningfully engage the concerns of Nigerians, President Tinubu and the APC-led National Assembly have shown that they are afraid of what the Nigerian people will do to them in a free and fair election, and they have reacted by demonstrating outright disregard for the very citizens whose mandate sustains their democratic authority.”
The ADC said it is concerned about the implications of the amendment for future elections, warning that in the absence of firm guarantees of electronic transparency, citizens may feel compelled to physically safeguard their votes.
“In this regard, the ADC wishes to pass the following message to all Nigerians, friends of Nigeria, and the world at large: As a duly constituted political party in the Federal Republic of Nigeria, with the actions taken by President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday, 18th February, moving forward, 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,” the party said.
“We will mobilise Nigerians toward vigilance, toward lawful participation, and toward unity in defense 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 amendment comes days after INEC released the timetable for the 2027 general election.
The senate also reduced the notice period for general elections from 360 days to 300 days.
