The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has faulted President Bola Tinubu over his assent to the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, describing the action as equivalent to endorsing “the death warrant on credible elections” in the country.
In a statement released on Thursday by its national publicity secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the party questioned the urgency with which the president approved the legislation despite public concerns. The ADC alleged that the swift endorsement forms part of a broader plan to influence the outcome of the 2027 general election.
“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.
The party argued that at a time when Nigerians are demanding greater accountability and full modernisation of the electoral system, the amendments fail to strengthen public trust in the 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 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 warned that without firm assurances of electronic transparency, citizens might feel compelled to personally safeguard their votes in future elections.
“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 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.”
The amendment follows the recent release of the 2027 general election timetable by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). It also comes after the Senate reduced the notice period for general elections from 360 days to 300 days.