The African Democratic Congress has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission of losing the trust of Nigerians after what it described as a disappointing performance during the 2023 general elections.
The party said the elections marked a major setback for Nigeria’s democracy and called for urgent reforms to rebuild public confidence before the 2027 polls.
The ADC made this known during a high-level meeting with the European Union Election Observation Mission in Abuja. The meeting, led by the EU Chief of Mission and Member of the European Parliament, Barry Andrews, focused on identifying flaws in the last elections and finding ways to improve future ones.
In a statement shared on X by the ADC National Secretary, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, the party said, “INEC’s failure to transmit results from polling units to the IReV portal in real time was a betrayal of public trust and a breach of confidence in the electoral process.”
The ADC also said the final results released by the commission did not reflect the actual votes cast, adding that the outcome “frustrated the will of the electorate and weakened faith in Nigeria’s democracy.”
The ADC delegation to the meeting was led by its National Chairman, Senator David Mark, and included prominent party members such as Liyel Imoke, Emeka Ihedioha, Babachir Lawal, Bolaji Abdullahi, Ibrahim Mani, and Chile Igbawua.
The party and the EU mission agreed that the 2023 general elections failed to meet the expectations of Nigerians, stressing the need for transparency and accountability in future electoral processes.
