The African Democratic Congress says its agents will document polling-unit results, independently collate the figures and share verified information with the public ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has rejected a warning by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) against the publication of independently collated election results, insisting that political parties and citizens have a constitutional right to collect, collate and disseminate polling-unit information.
The party said it would deploy its agents and political structures across polling units during the 2027 general elections to document results, compile the figures and make verified information available to the public.
The ADC stated its position in a statement issued on Thursday by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, in response to comments by INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan (SAN), cautioning against the publication of unofficial election results.
While acknowledging INEC’s statutory responsibility to declare official results and announce election winners, the opposition party argued that the commission’s mandate does not prevent political parties, candidates and citizens from independently gathering and sharing election information.
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The ADC maintained that its planned activities were consistent with the constitutional right to freedom of expression and would not amount to an attempt to assume INEC’s responsibilities.
“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 statement said.
The party added that its agents would record results at polling units, while its structures would collate the figures before communicating verified information to the public.
“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,” Abdullahi said.
ADC Says Independently Collated Results Will Not Replace INEC’s Declaration
The party stressed that its proposed result-collation process would not be presented as a substitute for INEC’s official declaration of election results.
According to the ADC, its objective is to give Nigerians access to information recorded at polling units while recognising the electoral commission’s legal responsibility for determining and declaring the official outcome of elections.
The party maintained that independently collated figures would be clearly identified as such to avoid confusion between information released by political parties and results formally declared by INEC.
It argued that the responsibility to announce official results does not automatically extinguish the right of citizens and political parties to document voting activities and communicate information about the electoral process.
“The responsibility to make official declarations of results and to declare winners of elections cannot reasonably abrogate the right of citizens to collect and collate election results and to share them,” the party added.
2027 Elections: Transparency and Result Publication in Focus
The disagreement comes as political parties and other election stakeholders prepare for the 2027 general elections, with electoral transparency, result collation and the communication of polling-unit figures expected to remain important issues.
The publication of independently gathered election results has become a recurring subject of debate in Nigeria, particularly as political parties, election observers and citizens increasingly use digital platforms to document voting activities and share results.
The ADC argued that transparency should involve more than the official announcement of results, maintaining that citizens and political parties also have a legitimate interest in monitoring the electoral process and sharing information gathered at polling units.
However, the distinction between independently collated figures and officially declared results remains central to the debate.
While the ADC insists that it has the right to document and publish its figures, it acknowledges that its proposed process will not replace INEC’s official declarations.
The party said its position was an assertion of citizens’ and political parties’ rights to access, record and communicate election information, rather than an attempt to usurp the electoral commission’s statutory powers.
As preparations for the 2027 elections continue, the debate is likely to keep attention focused on the balance between electoral transparency, the publication of independently collated results and INEC’s responsibility for announcing official election outcomes.
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