The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has rejected a warning by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) against the publication of privately collated election results, insisting that political parties and citizens have the right to collect, collate and share polling-unit figures.
The opposition party said it would deploy election agents and use its party structures to document results announced at polling units, verify the figures and make them available to the public during the 2027 general elections.
The ADC made its position known in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, in response to comments by INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, cautioning against the dissemination of unofficial election results.
The party argued that its proposed exercise was protected by the constitutional rights to freedom of expression and access to information. It maintained that INEC’s responsibility for announcing official results and declaring winners did not prevent political parties, candidates or citizens from independently gathering and sharing election information.
According to the ADC, its agents would record results at individual polling units, while party structures would collate and verify the figures before communicating them to the public. The party said any results it publishes would be clearly identified by their source and status.
It also stressed that independently collating and sharing polling-unit figures would not amount to taking over INEC’s statutory role in declaring official election results.
The dispute comes as political parties prepare for the 2027 general elections, with the handling, transmission and public verification of results remaining important issues in discussions about electoral transparency.
