Abdullahi
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The African Democratic Congress, ADC, has given reasons the party failed to fly at Saturday’s by-elections, blaming it on noticeable irregularities.
According to the party, the exercise was deeply compromised and marred by violence and all manner of malfeasance.
Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the National Publicity Secretary of the party in a statement on Sunday alleged that the polls was characterised by “intimidation, vote buying, violence, and manipulation.”
Despite recently being the African Democratic Congress (ADC) .
The party, had been adopted by top opposition figures, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Governor Nasir El-Rufai and former Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi, among several others, could not win even a single seat in the by-elections across 13 states and 16 constituencies but insisted that the election should not be interpreted to be a reflection of the Opposition Coalition’s strength.
He noted that the conduct of the polls exposed how far Nigeria’s electoral process had “deteriorated against the will of the people.”
“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,” Abdullahi wrote.
The statement highlighted several incidents across the country, such as the arrest of nearly 300 armed thugs on election day, widespread reports of ballot box snatching, and the intimidation of voters at polling stations.
Similarly, a vote buyer was allegedly caught with ₦25.9 million intended for inducements, in one state while in another, election officials themselves were caught in the web of bribery allegations.
Furthermore, the party criticised the recurring failure of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, in some polling units, questioning the competence and sincerity of the Independent National Electoral Commission , INEC.
“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,” ADC warned.
