The African Democratic Congress, ADC, has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, of working for the reelection of President Bola Tinubu.
ADC made the allegation against the backdrop of the 2027 general election timetable INEC released which declared that political parties must conduct and finalise primaries that will produce candidates latest by May 30.
The revised timetable also has it that political parties must submit their digital membership register to INEC at least 21 days to any primary, congress, or convention as non-compliance will result in disqualification from fielding candidates.
To ADC, the new arrangement was made to favour the President’s re-election bid and disadvantaged opposition parties.
“They (INEC) just want to coronate Asiwaju (Tinubu); it is as simple as that. We have reviewed the new INEC timetable and we know that it is designed to coronate Asiwaju.
“The new timetable is part of the self-perpetuation plan because we know that there is no way the opposition political parties can meet up with any of these deadlines.
“We are expected to complete and produce a digital membership registrar by the end of March. We are to conduct our congresses between March and April. By the end of April, we must have our candidates, but how do we achieve all that? And these candidates must be produced through direct primaries which means that we must organise elections and in-between we must do our congresses, how does this make sense? How is that possible?
“What INEC has done with this timetable and these deadlines is to create a situation that will make it impossible for the opposition parties to contest in the election in 2027 and it is unacceptable,” Punchng quoted the National Publicity Secretary of ADC, Bolaji Abdullahi as saying.
