ADC accuses National Assembly of deliberate delays on critical Electoral Bill

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has sharply criticized the Senate for what it calls deliberate delaying tactics in passing the Electoral Bill 2025.

The party warns that the failure to promptly pass the bill for presidential assent raises serious suspicions about the legislature’s intent.

In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC asserted that the delay appears designed to frustrate key amendments aimed at making elections more credible and harder to rig.

The party highlighted that several proposed amendments introduce new compliance and eligibility requirements for political parties, which require sufficient time to understand and implement.

The ADC emphasized that new provisions for mandatory electronic voter accreditation and the electronic transmission of results are minimum requirements for a credible 2027 general election.

It warned that these critical reforms must not be sabotaged by legislative filibustering.

The party also pointed to practical risks, stating that a lack of clarity and insufficient time to prepare would create “booby traps for opposition political parties” and hinder the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from setting clear guidelines within the legally stipulated timeframes.

“Failure to give sufficient time to understand the provisions of the new law has serious consequences for both political parties and INEC,” the ADC noted, citing the existing requirement for INEC to publish election notices 360 days in advance.

“The implication of this is that even now, there is very little left for maneuver,” the statement concluded.

About The Author

Dele Fashomi

Dele Fashomi, seasoned journalist and communication teacher, is a holder of Master of Arts degree in Communication and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan in 1992/93.

Earlier, he had bagged a Bachelor degree from the same university in 1984, after which he proceeded to the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos, in 1990, for a postgraduate diploma in Journalism.

He had done many courses in communication, including the EU-BBC Editing Course in 2002.

Mr. Fashomi combines effectively the practice, research and teaching of communication. And to date, he has published two academic works in communication: Issues in Communication Technology and Policy (2010) and Economic and Social Issues in Advertising and PR (2013).

He had his first break in the Nigerian media in Concord Newspapers in 1990 and today, he has over two and half decades experience earned in several newspapers.

He has been part of many start-ups, such as The Republic (1987), The Comet (1999), The Anchor 2001 – 2002; Sun Newspapers (2003); Westerner newsmagazine (2005 – 2010) as Editor; National Life (2011) as Sunday Editor, and Newswatch Newspapers (2012- 2016) as Daily Editor.

Dele Fashomi is now the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Newstide247.com newspaper online, which he started in July 2015. He is also into biography writing, with many books in his trail, some of which he wrote alone and one he co- authored with his mentor, Mr Dare Babarinsa, entitled:  Olabiyi Durojaiye – DARE TO BE DiFFERENT. He also guided and collaborated with Pa Olatunji Odusanya in writing his autobiography – AGAINST ALL ODDS. There are many other books in the works under his pen.

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