ADC Accuses Senate Of Delaying Electoral Act Passage

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) dominated Senate of adopting delay tactics in passing the Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2025.

In a statement on Saturday by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the party highlighted various amendments to the Electoral Act 2022, that carry serious eligibility and compliance risk for political parties if not passed on time.

The party also noted that new provisions involving mandatory electronic voter accreditation and transmission of results are minimum requirements on which the credibility of the 2027 election depends and must not be sabotaged by unnecessary filibustering.

The opposition party expressed deep concerns by the continued prevarications by the National Assembly over the 2025 Electoral Bill.

It said failure to promptly pass the bill for urgent presidential assent raises suspicions that the legislature, dominated by the ruling party, is deliberately applying delay tactics to frustrate key amendments, especially those intended to make future elections more difficult to rig.

The ADC also noted that some of the proposed amendments have introduced new compliance and eligibility requirements that need to be properly understood and met by political parties.

“Failure to give sufficient time to understand the provisions of the new law, beyond what is publicly available as proposals, has serious consequences for both political parties and the INEC.

“Lack of clarity as to the electoral guidelines would not only serve as booby traps for opposition political parties, but also make it difficult for the INEC to prepare sufficiently and set clear guidelines within stipulated time.

“For example, the provision that requires INEC to publish notices on election not later than 360 days before the general election remains extant. The implication of this is that even now, there is very little left for maneuver,” the party noted.

The ADC called on the National Assembly to promptly pass the bill, saying any further delays posed serious risk to the integrity of the 2027 general elections.

It added that delay could undermine the integrity of the entire electoral process well in advance, stressing that Nigeria cannot afford the cost of another acrimonious or dubious election.

The party called on civil society organisations, international partners, and political parties committed to accountable democratic governance to pressure the National Assembly to act swiftly, as Nigerians cannot afford another election cycle without these critical safeguards in place.