''DEATH WARRANT ON CREDIBLE ELECTIONS'' - ADC BLASTS TINUBU FOR SIGNING ELECTORAL AMENDMENT BILL

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The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has criticized President Bola Tinubu for agreeing to the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, calling the action like giving a “death sentence” to fair elections in Nigeria.

In a statement released on Thursday by Bolaji Abdullahi, the party‘s national publicity secretary, the ADC raised concerns about how quickly the president approved the bill, even though many citizens were against it.

They claim this is part of a supposed plan to manipulate the 2027 election. The party stated that the development has created a strong disagreement between the ruling party and Nigerians. They also said they will work with citizens to stop unfair voting practices by using the country‘s laws.

“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.

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“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 are confident that the people‘s wishes should come first, and that no law, even if made quickly, can stop a free country from pursuing democracy.”