Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has vowed to mobilise Nigerians nationwide to safeguard future elections, accusing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of undermining democratic credibility by signing the amended Electoral Act into law.
The opposition party stated this on Thursday in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, who criticised what he described as the undue haste with which the bill was passed and assented to, despite widespread public objections.
“With the alarmingly speedy assent to the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, President Tinubu has effectively signed the death warrant on credible elections, pushing Nigeria’s democracy back by decades,” the party said.
According to the ADC, the President’s claim that the amendment would strengthen democracy was misleading, arguing instead that the law introduces ambiguity and grants excessive discretion in the collation and transmission of election results.
The party said the speed of passage and assent had exposed the ruling government’s lack of confidence in a transparent electoral process.
“It is instructive that a government which boasts of controlling over 30 states and commanding a majority in the National Assembly would rush through changes to the electoral framework unless it harbours deep-seated doubts about submitting itself to a truly competitive and transparent process,” the statement read.
The ADC warned that the amendment poses serious risks to forthcoming elections, noting that without firm guarantees of electronic transparency, citizens may feel compelled to physically guard their votes to prevent manipulation between polling units and collation centres, a scenario witnessed in previous polls.
Reaffirming its commitment to democratic principles, the party declared its readiness to defend Nigeria’s democracy through lawful and constitutional means.
“We will mobilise Nigerians towards vigilance, lawful participation, and unity in defence of their constitutional rights.
“The will of the people must prevail, and no law, however hastily enacted, can extinguish the democratic aspirations of a free nation,” the ADC said.
