2027 Elections: We Can No Longer Trust INEC To Protect Our Votes, Says ADC
2027 Elections: We Can No Longer Trust INEC To Protect Our Votes, Says ADC 
Abdullahi said the ADC had evidence of attacks on its members, including the killing of a young man in Rivers State and injuries sustained by party supporters organising a meeting in Kogi State.
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused the Nigerian government and security authorities of failing to respond to attacks on its members, warning that continued violence could push affected supporters to defend themselves.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, raised the alarm during an interview on Channels Television, saying the failure of authorities to condemn attacks and hold perpetrators accountable could create conditions for retaliation and a breakdown of law and order.
Abdullahi said the ADC had evidence of attacks on its members, including the killing of a young man in Rivers State and injuries sustained by party supporters organising a meeting in Kogi State.
He called on the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the police to take action against political violence.
Abdullahi said the ADC could no longer continue asking its members to tolerate repeated attacks while government officials and security agencies failed to demonstrate that they could protect them.
“The least that the ruling party could do is to come out to condemn this violence. They have not done that,” he said, adding that police authorities should show that they could contain the situation.
He warned that continued inaction could encourage affected individuals to resort to self-help, potentially leading to further violence and a breakdown of law and order.
The ADC spokesman, however, said the party had not abandoned its commitment to non-violence.
He explained that the party’s governance principles prohibit violence and that its candidates had been instructed to avoid statements capable of provoking ethnic or religious conflict.
Abdullahi said a young man was killed in Rivers State three days before the interview while organising an ADC meeting. He also presented the case of party members in Kogi State who were allegedly attacked while preparing for a political gathering, leaving some of them hospitalised.
The allegations come amid wider concerns raised by the ADC over political violence ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Addressing the credibility of the 2023 general elections, Abdullahi said he no longer trusted the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to protect votes without additional monitoring by political parties.
He recalled contesting the 2023 Senate election in Kwara State and said candidates had relied on INEC’s assurances that election results would be transmitted electronically. According to him, the failure to transmit results automatically because of what officials described as a technical problem had affected the confidence of political actors.
“We are no longer naive. We’ve seen what could happen. Whether deliberately or inadvertently, we can no longer trust INEC to protect our votes for us,” Abdullahi said.
He added that the ADC would establish its own system for collating results from polling units and comparing them with the figures released by INEC. He acknowledged that the electoral commission retained the legal authority to collate and announce election results but said the party would independently monitor the process.
The latest comments follow the party’s public complaints about political violence, voter intimidation and the response of security agencies.
The party has called for investigations into reported attacks and greater protection for political activities. Abdullahi’s remarks also highlight the relationship between the safety of political participants and public confidence in the electoral process ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The ADC maintains that its members should be able to organise meetings, campaign and participate in politics without threats or violence.
Its calls for official investigations and accountability place responsibility on the relevant authorities to address reported attacks and clarify the status of ongoing investigations.
