The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has announced that it will independently document, tally, and share polling-unit results with the general public throughout the upcoming 2027 general elections.
The party said while it respects the Independent National Electoral Commission’s statutory responsibility to declare official election outcomes and to announce winners of elections, this wiill not stop it from documenting the process.
In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC said it decided to make its position known in response to the warning by the INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, against sharing of privately collated results.
“We are aware of our rights to freedom of expression under the Constitution. We are also aware of the limitations associated with those rights. And we hold that our rights to collate and share election results are not abrogated by any of the limitation clauses.”
“The ADC will share our collated results with the public. Our agents will document results, our structures will collate them, and we will communicate verified figures to the public, clearly identifying their source and status,” the party said.
The party said although it recognises INEC’s responsibility to make official declarations of results and to declare winners of elections, that responsibility cannot abrogate the right of citizens to collect and collate election results and share them.
What You Should Know
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) is challenging a warning issued by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) regarding the private collation and sharing of election results. While the party acknowledges that INEC holds the exclusive constitutional power to officially declare election winners, the ADC insists that its members and agents have a fundamental right under freedom of expression to record and publish figures from polling units.
- Positive Impact: This move could foster greater transparency, empower citizens with parallel data, and ensure accountability during the electoral process.
- Potential Concerns: Critics and electoral authorities warn that the unofficial release of results by political parties could create confusion, spread misinformation, and raise tensions before official announcements are made.
