The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has reacted to the by-elections across the country recently.
Dockaysworld reports that despite being adopted by prominent opposition figures, the party failed to secure a single seat in Saturday’s by-elections held across 13 states and 16 constituencies.
Following its poor showing, the party on Sunday issued a response, blaming widespread irregularities for the outcome and warning that Nigeria’s democracy is sliding into deeper crisis under President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC alleged that the by-elections were compromised by vote buying, intimidation, violence, and manipulation, insisting that the results should not be taken as a measure of the opposition coalition’s strength.
The party cited several disturbing incidents: the arrest of nearly 300 armed thugs, reports of ballot box snatching and voter intimidation, and cases where election officials themselves were implicated in bribery. In one state, according to the ADC, a vote buyer was caught with ₦25.9 million meant to influence the outcome.
Beyond physical violence and inducements, the ADC also criticised the repeated failures of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), questioning the competence and sincerity of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
“Nigerians deserve elections that command the implicit confidence of every citizen and the respect of the rest of the world. INEC must not be allowed to turn excuses into a code of conduct,” the party warned.
The ADC said that the by-elections, far from reflecting popular will, served as a “dress rehearsal” for 2027, one the party says signals more violence, corruption, and collusion if urgent reforms are not made.
