…vows to defend Nigeria’s democracy
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) yesterday rejected the amended ElectoralLaw, accusing President Bola Tinubu of weakening democratic credibility by signing the Act into law. In a statement, the opposition questioned Tinubu’s hasty signing of the document despite the widespread opposition to the law.
It expressed its preparedness “to defend the sanctity of Nigeria’s democracy using every constitutional and lawful means available to us” as well as mobilizing “Nigerians toward vigilance, toward lawful participation, and toward unity in defence of their constitutional rights”.
The statement said: “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, 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 expressed concerns over the conduct of the 2027 general election. It said: “In the absence of firm guarantees of electronic transparency, vigilant citizens may feel compelled to physically safeguard their votes to prevent discrepancies between polling units and collation centres, as has been witnessed in the past.
“No government that is confident in its democratic mandate and cares about its citizens should place its people in a position that risks heightening tension during elections.
