Tinubu’s Speedy Assent to Electoral Act a ‘Death Warrant’ on Credible Polls…ADC

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of dealing a major blow to Nigeria’s democracy, describing his swift assent to the amended Electoral Act as the “signing of a death warrant” against credible elections.

Tinubu signed the new Electoral Act on Wednesday, barely 24 hours after it was passed by the National Assembly of Nigeria, amid protests from opposition parties and civil society groups over controversial provisions.

In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC alleged that the speed of the presidential assent was part of a broader plot by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to manipulate the 2027 general elections.

“With the alarmingly speedy assent to the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, President Bola Tinubu has signed the death warrant on credible elections and set Nigeria’s democracy back by decades,” the party said.

Controversy over Electronic Transmission

The ADC and several civil society organisations (CSOs) had protested the non-inclusion of mandatory real-time electronic transmission of election results — a reform widely viewed as critical to transparency.

According to the ADC, the new law introduces ambiguity and grants excessive discretion in the collation and transmission of results, thereby weakening electoral safeguards.

The party warned that in the absence of firm electronic transparency guarantees, citizens might feel compelled to physically safeguard their votes, potentially heightening tension during elections.

Declaring its readiness to re- sist what it termed democratic backsliding, the ADC vowed to deploy “every constitutional and lawful means” to defend Nigeria.