The African Democratic Congress has strongly criticized the Independent National Electoral Commission, alleging that the electoral body betrayed the trust of Nigerians during the conduct of the 2023 general elections.
According to the ADC, the outcome of the polls marked a significant setback for Nigeria’s democratic progress.
The party made these remarks during a high-level engagement with the European Union Election Observation Mission in Abuja, where both parties emphasized the need for immediate electoral reforms to restore public confidence ahead of the 2027 elections.
This position was outlined in a statement shared on Saturday via X by the party’s National Secretary, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola.
The European Union delegation, led by Chief of Mission and Member of the European Parliament, Mr. Barry Andrews, met with ADC officials as part of a broader review of the 2023 electoral process.
The ADC said the meeting was convened to identify key weaknesses in the election and recommend reforms aimed at protecting the credibility of future polls. It noted that its delegation was led by National Chairman Senator David Mark and included prominent figures such as Liyel Imoke, Emeka Ihedioha, Babachir Lawal, Bolaji Abdullahi, Ibrahim Mani, and Chile Igbawua.
The party noted that both sides reached a shared conclusion that the 2023 elections did not meet the expectations of the Nigerian electorate. It stressed that INEC’s failure to deliver on its commitment to transparent result collation severely compromised the legitimacy of the process.
According to the statement, the ADC described INEC’s inability to transmit results from polling units to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) 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 wrote.
