The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of undermining Nigeria’s democracy through what it described as a hasty assent to the controversial Electoral Act Amendment Bill.
In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the opposition party said the President’s speedy approval of the bill amounted to “signing the death warrant on credible elections” in the country.
“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 read.
The ADC questioned what it termed the “extraordinary haste” with which the amendment was passed by the National Assembly and signed into law, despite what it described as widespread objections from citizens.
“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,” the party stated.
According to the ADC, the amendments introduce “ambiguity” and grant “excessive discretion” in the collation and transmission of election results, thereby weakening public 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 added.
2027 Elections In Focus
The opposition party further alleged that the amendment formed part of an elaborate plan by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to manipulate the 2027 general elections.
By refusing to “slow down, listen, and meaningfully engage the concerns of Nigerians,” the ADC said the President and the APC-led National Assembly had demonstrated disregard for the electorate.
“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,” the statement said.
The party also warned that in the absence of “firm guarantees of electronic transparency,” citizens might feel compelled to physically safeguard their votes during elections – a development it said could heighten tension.
“No government that is confident in its democratic mandate and cares about its citizens should place its people in a position that risks heightening tension during elections,” it said.
Declaring its readiness for political engagement ahead of future polls, the ADC said it would mobilise Nigerians to protect the sanctity of democracy “using every constitutional and lawful means available.”
“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 stated.
“We will mobilize 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.”
