By Yahaya Umar, Abuja
Opposition African Democratic Congress, ADC, has said that “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”.
In a statement issued yesterday by the ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the party accused Tinubu of rushing the amendment and undermining public confidence in the electoral system.
Besides, the ADC vowed to mobilise Nigerians with a view to defending what it describes as democratic values following President’s assent to the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, describing the move as a setback to credible elections in the country.
The speed with which the bill was signed into law raised serious concerns about the government’s commitment to transparency and accountability, ADC added.
According to the party, the amendments introduce ambiguity and grant excessive discretion in the collation and transmission of election results.
The party further stated that despite the All Progressives Congress political dominance at both federal and state levels, the hurried passage of the amendment suggests a reluctance to submit to a fully transparent and competitive electoral 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 unavoidable questions”, the ADC said.
“In the absence of firm guarantees of electronic transparency, vigilant citizens may feel compelled to physically safeguard their votes to prevent discrepancies”, the statement added.
The ADC, however, affirmed that it is prepared to defend the sanctity of Nigeria’s democracy through constitutional and lawful means.
“We are ready, willing, and prepared to defend the sanctity of Nigeria’s democracy using every constitutional and lawful means available to us. We will mobilise Nigerians toward vigilance, lawful participation, and unity in defence of their constitutional rights”, the party declared.
