By Emmanuel Oloniruha
African Democratic Congress (ADC) had called on Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to investigate alleged irregularities witnessed during Saturday’s by-elections.
ADC’s National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, stated this in a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja.
Abdullahi also urged the commission to sanction any official found to have compromised and take necessary steps to restore public confidence in the nation’s electoral process.
He alleged that the by-elections were marked by irregularities, including reported violence, vote buying, manipulation and other administrative lapses.
“In one state, a vote buyer was caught with N25.9 million intended to procure and corrupt the will of the people.
“In another, election officials were themselves implicated in similar inducements.
“This is fast becoming the political culture of our electoral process,” he said.
Abdullahi also expressed concern about the failure of Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) in some polling units.
“Nigerians deserve elections that commands the implicit confidence of every citizen and respect of the rest of the world,” he said.
Abdullahi said that excuse should not be allowed from INEC, noting that the by-elections were a representation of what might happen in the 2027 general elections.
He, however, urged Nigerians not to judge the party by its performance in the by-elections, noting that ADC did not field candidates for most of the positions contested for during the exercise.
The ADC spokesman also called on civil society organisations, the media, faith leaders, Nigerians and all stakeholders to be united in defending the sanctity of the ballot.
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