The African Democratic Congress (ADC), has criticised the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), accusing it of betraying public trust in the conduct of Nigeria’s 2023 general elections.
The ADC said the result of the elections represented a major setback to the country’s democratic aspirations.
The party made the statement at a high-level meeting with the European Union Election Observation Mission in Abuja, where both parties called for urgent electoral reforms to restore public confidence and ensure free, fair, and credible elections in 2027.
This was contained in a statement posted via X on Saturday by the party’s National Secretary, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola.
The EU delegation, led by Chief of Mission and Member of the European Parliament, Mr Barry Andrews, met with the ADC leadership as part of its review of the 2023 elections.
The ADC said the meeting was aimed at identifying flaws and recommending corrective measures that would safeguard the integrity of Nigeria’s future elections.
The party revealer that its delegation to the meeting was led by National Chairman, Senator David Mark, and included top leaders such as Liyel Imoke, Emeka Ihedioha, Babachir Lawal, Bolaji Abdullahi, Ibrahim Mani, and Chile Igbawua.
It further stated that both parties reached a common understanding that the 2023 elections failed to meet the expectations of Nigerians, adding that INEC’s inability to uphold its promise of transparency in result collation deeply undermined the credibility of the process.
According to the statement, the ADC described INEC’s failure to transmit results from polling units to the INEC Result Viewing portal in real time as “a betrayal of public trust and a breach of confidence in the electoral process.”
“The party noted that the final results declared were inconsistent with the votes cast, which frustrated the will of the electorate and diminished public confidence in Nigeria’s democracy,” Aregbesola said.
