ADC Rejects Electoral Amendment, Demands Real-Time E-Transmission Of Results

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has rejected the Electoral Amendment Bill passed on Tuesday by the Senate, citing provisions it says could undermine the integrity of Nigeria’s elections.

The party through its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, on Wednesday said its initial reaction to the Bill was based on early media reports indicating that it included a guarantee for the real-time transmission of election results – a safeguard the party describes as “long-standing” and essential to protecting the votes of Nigerians.

However, the party explained that subsequent and more detailed reports revealed the Bill, as passed, contains “discretionary clauses capable of weakening the guarantee of real-time electronic transmission and opening the door to the intentional manipulation of election results.”

“Any provision in our electoral laws that creates ambiguity, discretion, or technical loopholes around the transmission and collation of election results fundamentally undermines the integrity of the electoral process and cannot be accepted in good conscience,” the statement read.

The ADC emphasized that the credibility of elections depends on “clear, unambiguous legal guarantees that protect the will of the people,” and not merely on assurances.

The party maintained that only an Electoral Amendment Act that unequivocally mandates real-time electronic transmission of results—without exceptions capable of abuse—can command public confidence and strengthen Nigeria’s democracy.

The party urged the National Assembly to remove any provisions that dilute the safeguard and to align the final version of the Bill with recommendations from the House of Representatives, which called for mandatory electronic transmission of results.

The party stated that the ADC remains committed to standing with Nigerians in defense of “transparent, credible, and verifiable elections” and called on all Nigerians and opposition parties to resist any attempt by the National Assembly Conference Committee to pass a version of the Bill that fails to guarantee unconditional, real-time transmission of election results.