* Says PVC collection, not registration figures, matters
By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja
The African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council (ADC-PCC) has cautioned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) against tilting the electoral process in favour of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), warning that the credibility of the 2027 general elections will depend largely on the Commission’s neutrality and transparency.
The Council also urged INEC to ensure that eligible Nigerians who register as voters are able to collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), stressing that registration figures would be meaningless without corresponding PVC collection.
The ADC-PCC said these on Wednesday in a statement signed by its Director of Media and Publicity, Kola Ologbondiyan, in reaction to INEC’s World Press Conference held on Tuesday.
The Council said its presidential candidate remains prepared to participate in the 2027 election, provided INEC guarantees an election that is free, fair, credible and devoid of violence or manipulation.
Ologbondiyan said the Commission must demonstrate its independence by resisting any attempt by the ruling party to influence its decisions or operations.
According to him, the publication of impressive voter-registration figures would serve little purpose if registered voters are subsequently unable to obtain their PVCs.
According to the APC-PCC, “Reading out figures of registration is nothing. What matters is the number of cards actually collected by Nigerians.
“What gives a citizen power on election day is not that his name is in a register somewhere, but that he has his PVC in his hand’, the PCC of the ADC said.
The ADC-PCC further expressed concern over alleged bureaucratic bottlenecks and delays at PVC collection centres, particularly in areas considered strongholds of opposition parties.
It urged INEC to ensure that no Nigerian is disenfranchised through administrative obstacles, deliberate delays or unequal access to voter cards.
“We urge INEC to be independent and not take orders from the APC. INEC must remain an unbiased umpire and not operate as an extension of the ruling party,” Ologbondiyan said.
He stressed that the ADC would insist on full compliance with the Constitution and Electoral Act throughout the electoral process.
“The ADC won’t allow anything short of compliance with our electoral laws. We demand full transparency, neutrality and strict adherence to due process from registration to declaration of results.”
The Council also warned that it was closely monitoring the activities of INEC ahead of the 2027 elections, adding that Nigerians and the international democratic community were equally watching the process.
“We are carefully watching every step of INEC. Nigerians and the international community do too. The Commission should stay neutral, as no institution should push Nigerians to the wall by compromising the electoral process,” he said.
Ologbondiyan said Nigerians had endured enormous hardship and could not afford another election compromised by manipulation or institutional bias.
He added that the 2027 election was being viewed by Nigerians as an opportunity to effect a change of government through the ballot.
“Let it be clear to INEC that the 2027 general election is not business as usual. Nigerians have endured hardship, hunger and misgovernance under the APC. They see 2027 as an opportunity for a rescue mission.
“Any attempt to rig or tilt the process in favour of the ruling party will be met with lawful and resolute resistance from the people.”
The ADC-PCC further warned INEC against compromising the electoral process through unequal distribution or delayed release of PVCs.
Ologbondiyan said democracy would be endangered if the electoral umpire abandoned its neutrality and became an instrument of partisan interest.
“When INEC begins to take dictation from the ruling party, when PVCs are made available in APC strongholds and hidden in opposition areas, then democracy is under threat.
“INEC must not become a political party. It must not write its name in the black book of history as the Commission that set Nigeria ablaze because it chose to serve a party instead of the nation.”
The ADC-PCC called on the INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, to immediately decentralise PVC collection to the ward level, extend collection hours and deploy technology to notify voters when their cards are ready for collection.
The Council also appealed to Nigerians, particularly first-time voters, not to be discouraged by administrative challenges but to participate actively in the process and ensure that they collect their PVCs.
Ologbondiyan said the ADC remained committed to a democratic process in which every eligible Nigerian would have an equal opportunity to vote and every legitimate vote would count.
“This country belongs to all of us. INEC’s loyalty must be to the Constitution, not to the APC. The ADC stands with Nigerians in demanding an election where votes count and where the PVC truly becomes the weapon of the people to change their destiny”, the statement concluded.
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