ADC Accuses INEC of Betraying Public Trust in 2023 Elections

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of betraying public trust through its conduct of the 2023 general elections, describing the outcome as a major setback to Nigeria’s democratic aspirations.

The party made the allegation during a high-level meeting with the European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) in Abuja, where both parties called for urgent electoral reforms to restore public confidence ahead of the 2027 polls.

This was contained in a statement shared via X on Saturday by the ADC’s National Secretary, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola.

According to the statement, the EU delegation, led by Chief of Mission and Member of the European Parliament, Mr. Barry Andrews, met with the ADC leadership as part of its post-election review of Nigeria’s 2023 polls.

The ADC said the meeting focused on identifying flaws in the electoral process and recommending corrective measures to safeguard the integrity of future elections.

The party’s delegation was led by its National Chairman, Senator David Mark, and included prominent figures such as Liyel Imoke, Emeka Ihedioha, Babachir Lawal, Bolaji Abdullahi, Ibrahim Mani, and Chile Igbawua.

Both sides reportedly reached a consensus that the 2023 general elections failed to meet the expectations of Nigerians, particularly due to INEC’s failure to uphold transparency during result collation.

The ADC criticized the electoral body’s inability to transmit polling unit results to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal in real time, describing it as “a betrayal of public trust and a breach of confidence in the electoral process.”

“The final results declared were inconsistent with the votes cast, frustrating the will of the electorate and diminishing public confidence in Nigeria’s democracy,” Aregbesola stated.