The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has expressed concern over the conduct of the by-elections held on Saturday across 13 states and 16 constituencies of the federation, saying the exercise once again exposed how far Nigeria’s electoral process has deteriorated under President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

In a statement issued on Sunday morning by the ADC’s National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the opposition party noted that the elections were riddled with widely reported violence, vote buying, manipulation, and other administrative lapses.

The ADC noted that the party did not field candidates for most of the positions contested in the by-election. Therefore, with all its flaws and irregularities, this election should not be seen as a measure of the strength or capacity of the Opposition Coalition, but rather as a sad reflection of how far the system has been corrupted against the will of the people.

The statement read: “What Nigerians witnessed in yesterday’s by-elections is yet another reminder that under the current administration, democracy itself, just like the economy and our national security, continues to decline under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the APC.

“When elections are marred by widespread violence, when ballots are openly and brazenly exchanged for money, when opposition candidates are excluded without explanation, and when the very institutions entrusted to safeguard democracy become complicit, then the vote of the ordinary Nigerian ceases to have meaning.

“In some states, nearly 300 thugs armed with rifles, knives, and cutlasses were arrested on election day. Is this democracy—or banditry disguised as voting?

“In some states, whole polling units were cancelled due to ballot box snatching and the open intimidation of voters. If citizens cannot go to the polls without fear of assault, then the most basic covenant between the state and its people has already broken down.

“In one state, a vote-buyer was caught with N25.9 million intended to procure and corrupt the will of the people. In another, election officials were themselves implicated in similar inducements. This is no longer isolated malpractice; it is fast becoming the political culture of our electoral process under the APC.

“After so many years, the failure of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) in some states has once again raised questions about the Commission’s competence, sincerity, and perhaps, complicity. 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 bigger picture that we must all remember is that for better or worse, these by-elections represent the clearest indication of a dress rehearsal for 2027. If violence, vote buying, candidate intimidation and exclusion, and collusion between security forces and compromised election officials become the new normal, then Nigerians and the international community must brace themselves.

“The ADC therefore calls on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to rise above his partisan interest and, for once, demonstrate genuine leadership by ensuring that Nigerians can cast their votes freely and safely. The President must recognise that no government can claim legitimacy if it consistently presides over elections that citizens and the international community perceive as fraudulent.

“We call on INEC to immediately investigate the brazen and reckless irregularities that have been revealed and reported, sanction all compromised officials, and take the urgent and necessary steps to restore public confidence in our nation’s electoral process. If INEC cannot guarantee the Integrity of a by-election, then Nigerians are right to question its institutional capacity and all-around readiness for a general election.

“In a similar regard, the ADC calls on the international community, especially Nigeria’s democratic partners and election observers, not to look away. Silence in the face of such brazen subversion of democratic norms will only embolden those who profit from this chaos. Nigeria is too important to Africa and the world to allow its democracy to collapse under the weight of complicit impunity.

“We urge civil society, the media, faith leaders, and indeed every Nigerian who believes in freedom to resist the slide into electoral banditry. If we do not defend the sanctity of the ballot today, there may be nothing left to defend tomorrow.

“The ADC notes the recent declaration of both the PDP and the APC as terrorist organisations by a Canadian court. This must have come as a great embarrassment to all citizens. But evidence of this by-election makes it difficult to plead their case.” (Sunday Tribune)