The African Democratic Congress, ADC, has given reasons for its poor showing in Saturday’s bye-elections in some states across the country.
NAtIONAL POST reports that the ADC, the party adopted by the opposition coalition, could not make a remarkable impact in any of the states.
Prior to the elections, key opposition figures, including Nasir El-Rufai and Mr Peter Obi had sought votes for ADC candidates, but all of them lost.
The party has now blamed the development on widespread violence, vote buying, and irregularities allegedly perpetrated under the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress, APC.
In a statement issued on Sunday by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the party said the exercise was marred by incidents that undermined the credibility of the polls.
The ADC alleged that in some states, about 300 armed thugs were arrested on election day, while several polling units were cancelled due to ballot box snatching and voter intimidation.
It also cited reports of vote buying, including the arrest of a suspect with N25.9 million in Kaduna and cases where election officials were implicated in inducements.
The party further expressed concern over the failure of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, in some states and questioned the competence and sincerity of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
“These by-elections are a dress rehearsal for 2027. If violence, vote buying, intimidation, and collusion with security forces become the new normal, Nigerians and the international community must brace themselves,” the statement read.