The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has declared that it will not rely solely on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) during the 2027 general elections, insisting that it will take measures to protect its votes.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, made the statement on Wednesday while speaking with journalists during the ADC’s walk-to-rule exercise in Ilorin, Kwara State.
According to Abdullahi, although there are officials within INEC who are committed to conducting credible elections, the party would not base its electoral strategy on trust alone.
“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,” he said.
The ADC spokesperson said the party trusted the electoral process during the 2023 general elections but was left disappointed by the outcome.
“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,” Abdullahi stated.
When asked how the party intends to protect its votes in 2027, he declined to reveal its strategy.
“We are not going to tell you, but that is what we are going to do if we must win this election,” he said.
Speaking on the walk-to-rule campaign, Abdullahi said party members initially doubted the exercise would attract a large turnout because the ADC lacked the financial resources to mobilise crowds like some larger political parties.
However, he said the event exceeded expectations, with supporters reportedly 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 growing public support for the ADC and showed that the party could serve as a credible alternative for Kwarans ahead of the 2027 elections.
Abdullahi urged residents of the state to support the ADC, promising that the party would prioritise improving socio-economic conditions, especially in rural communities.
He also expressed confidence in the party’s governorship candidate, Hon. Zakari Mohammed, describing the former two-term member of the House of Representatives as more experienced than the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate.
On the performance of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, Abdullahi said the governor could have achieved more if he had carried more people along and paid closer attention to the needs of residents.
However, he stressed that his criticism was based on governance rather than personal differences.
“Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq is not my enemy. I am not going to join anybody to fight their political battle,” he said.
