The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has kicked against the proposed amendment of the Electoral Act by the National Assembly, which seeks to bring forward the 2027 general elections to November 2026, stating that it will hinder governance.
In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party argued that moving the election date forward would “push Nigeria into a perpetual campaign cycle, shorten the effective period for governance, disrupt development planning, and further weaken institutional focus.”
The ADC urged lawmakers to abandon the idea and instead pursue genuine electoral and judicial reforms that ensure credible elections and timely resolution of disputes without undermining governance stability.
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The statement outlined the party’s position:“The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has noted the proposal by the National Assembly to amend the Constitution in order to hold the 2027 general elections in November 2026.”
“While we understand the stated intent, which is to provide more time for the resolution of election petitions before the inauguration of a new administration, the ADC believes that this amendment risks creating deeper problems for Nigeria’s democracy than it seeks to solve.”
“By cutting the current political calendar by six months, the proposal threatens to push Nigeria into a state of permanent electioneering, where politics dominates governance and development is perpetually on hold.”
“In practice, elections happening in November 2026 mean campaigns will begin as early as 2025. That leaves barely two years of real governance before the political noise takes over. The President, ministers, governors, and other public officials vying for office or campaigning for others will shift their focus from performance to positioning. Policies will stall, projects will be abandoned, and the entire system will tilt towards 2026 instead of 2027.”
The party maintained that, even without the proposed amendments, the APC government has performed below average:“Even without the proposed amendments, we see what happens to a country where an administration is obsessed with power rather than the welfare of the people. Even under the current timetable, the incumbent structures at the state and federal levels are already campaigning. In this regard, moving the elections backward will only accelerate this unhealthy trend and reduce our democracy to mere electioneering.”
The ADC argued that the solution lies in judicial efficiency, not in changing the date:“If the goal of the proposed amendment is to ensure that election petitions are concluded before inaugurations, the answer is not to cut short tenures or rush the electoral process. The solution lies in strengthening our institutions by enforcing strict timelines for tribunals, reforming electoral laws, and improving the capacity of the judiciary and INEC.”
The party offered international examples:“Other democracies have shown that it is possible to maintain fixed electoral timelines while ensuring quick adjudication of disputes. In Kenya, for instance, the Supreme Court must resolve presidential election petitions within 14 days under the 2010 Constitution. Indonesia’s Constitutional Court decides similar disputes within 14 working days after hearing, while Ghana’s Supreme Court is required to conclude presidential petitions within 42 days.”
“Even in South Africa and other democracies, electoral cases are handled through expedited judicial processes. As these examples have shown, the amendment that we need is the one which ensures timely electoral justice through institutional efficiency, not by altering the election calendar to accommodate inefficiency.”
The ADC cautioned that changing the date alone is insufficient:“Changing the date of elections without fixing the underlying weaknesses in our electoral matters adjudication and other fundamental electoral weaknesses will not solve the problem. Countries that manage early campaigns effectively do so with firm institutional safeguards.”
The party concluded by stating that the Nigerian populace expects good governance:“The people of Nigeria are not just voters; they are citizens who expect good governance as dividends of democracy. Nigeria cannot afford a system that allows government to campaign for two years and govern for two.”
The ADC therefore called on the National Assembly to shelve this amendment and instead focus on comprehensive electoral reform that guarantees credible elections and quick dispute resolution, without making real service to the people appear merely incidental to politics and politicking.
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