The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has said it will not rely solely on trust in the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ahead of the 2027 general elections.
According to the opposition party, it has begun putting plans in place to protect its votes as it seeks victory at the polls.
The party, which is fielding former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as its presidential candidate for the 2027 election, will face President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Peter Obi of the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC), and other candidates.
Speaking with journalists during the walk-to-rule exercise of the ADC in Ilorin, Kwara State, on Wednesday, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said the ADC would not base its electoral strategy on confidence in the electoral umpire alone.
According to him, although there are officials within INEC who remain committed to conducting credible elections, the party would take additional measures to ensure that the votes of its supporters are protected.
“With due respect, INEC still has people that are committed to doing the right thing, but we are not going to run our election based on trust,” Abdullahi said.
He argued that the party had confidence in the electoral process during the 2023 general elections but was left disappointed by the outcome, adding that it would not make the same mistake in 2027.
“We know what they are capable of doing. We trusted them in 2023 and we saw what happened. We are not going to trust them with our votes this time around,” he stated.
When asked how the party intended to safeguard its votes, Abdullahi declined to reveal the strategy but hinted that the ADC already had a plan.
“We are not going to tell you, but that is what we are going to do if we must win this election,” he said.
Abdullahi also expressed satisfaction with the turnout during the party’s walk-to-rule exercise, which was organised to sensitise residents of Ilorin and other parts of Kwara State about the ADC ahead of the 2027 elections.
He admitted that party leaders initially doubted whether the exercise would attract many participants because the ADC lacked the financial resources available to some larger political parties.
However, he said the large number of supporters who participated exceeded expectations, with participants trekking about 13 kilometres from Adeita Roundabout to the party’s state secretariat in the Basin area of Ilorin.
According to him, the turnout demonstrated that the ADC was gaining genuine grassroots support and had become a credible alternative political platform for the people of Kwara State.
Abdullahi urged residents to support the party and vote for its candidates, promising that an ADC-led government would prioritise improving socio-economic conditions, particularly in rural communities.
He also expressed confidence in the party’s governorship candidate in Kwara State, Hon. Zakari Mohammed, describing the former two-term member of the House of Representatives as more experienced and better prepared than the candidate of the ruling APC.
Abdullahi noted that since both governorship candidates are from Kwara North Senatorial District, voters should make their choice based on competence, experience and proven leadership.
Commenting on the administration of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, the ADC spokesman said the governor could have achieved more if he had carried more people along and remained more responsive to the needs of residents.
Despite the criticism, Abdullahi stressed that he had no personal disagreement with the governor.
“For me, I will focus on governance. I believe Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq would have done a lot better than what he has done, but because some people are fighting him and looking for people to join them in attacking him, I am not going to join them.
“Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq is not my enemy. I am not going to join anybody to fight their political battle,” he said.
