The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has cried out over its poor outing in Saturday’s by-elections, blaming the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and President Bola Tinubu’s administration for allegedly turning the polls into a battleground.
In a strongly worded statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the party said the elections were marred by violence, ballot snatching, and open vote buying that made a mockery of democracy. According to the ADC, over 300 armed thugs were reportedly arrested in some states, while several polling units had to be cancelled due to widespread chaos and intimidation.
The party also pointed fingers at vote buying, citing the shocking case of a suspect arrested in Kaduna with a whopping ₦25.9 million meant for inducements. It added that even some electoral officials were caught in the web of financial manipulation, raising fresh doubts about the credibility of the process.
Beyond that, the ADC expressed frustration over the failure of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) in some polling units, stressing that such lapses cast serious doubt on INEC’s competence and sincerity.
“These by-elections are a dress rehearsal for 2027,” the statement warned. “If this level of violence, vote buying, and collusion with security forces becomes the norm, Nigerians and the international community must brace themselves for a very dangerous road ahead.”
