Following Saturday’s by-elections in 16 constituencies across 12 states, the ruling All Progressives Congress, the African Democratic Congress(ADC), and the Peoples Democratic Party have gone onto heavy political disagreement on Sunday.
Although the APC won most of the seats, the PDP won in Adamawa State, Oyo State, and Ibadan; the NNPP won in Kano; and the All Progressives Grand Alliance won in Anambra State. However, the ADC failed to win in any of the constituencies.
The APC took home 12 seats, the APGA won two, while the PDP and NNPP each took home one.
However, according to the ADC, the by-election was tainted by corruption and intimidation.
Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC National Publicity Secretary, emphasised in a statement released on Sunday that the results of the bye-elections do not accurately represent the party’s strength as the coalition platform for opposition leaders.
He added that the practice once again brought attention to the purported deterioration of Nigeria’s electoral system under the leadership of the ruling All Progressives Congress and President Bola Tinubu.
It was anticipated that the exercise would serve as a test of the ADC’s strength in advance of the 2027 election. The ADC was formally adopted on July 1 as the coalition party of important opposition figures, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi, and former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai.
Responding to the outcome, the ADC alleged that the polls were tainted by violence, vote-buying, manipulation, and administrative irregularities.
It stated, “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.
“What Nigerians witnessed in yesterday’s (Saturday) 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?”
The ADC asserted that after instances of ballot box snatching and overt voter intimidation, entire polling stations were declared invalid in some states.
The coalition party added that a breach of the fundamental bond between the state and its inhabitants occurs when people are unable to cast their ballots without fear of violence or intimidation.
It added, “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 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.”
The ADC urged religious leaders, the media, civil society organisations, and all Nigerians who value freedom to resist the country’s slide into electoral lawlessness.
The party said that if the ballot’s sanctity is not preserved today, citizens may not have anything left to defend later.
In its reaction, the APC on the other hand hailed the victory as a clear endorsement of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
In a statement on Sunday, the party’s Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, expressed deep appreciation to Nigerians for their overwhelming support, which he said led to the resounding success of APC candidates in Saturday’s legislative by-elections held across 12 states of the federation.
