The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has stated that it will document, collate, and make public polling-unit results during the 2027 general elections. This move is in response to a warning by INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, against the publication of privately collated election results. The ADC's National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, made this known in a statement on Thursday in Abuja.
The ADC said that its decision to independently collate and share election results is protected by citizens' constitutional rights. The party stressed that it is entitled to collect and disseminate information obtained through its agents and structures. According to the party, this move does not amount to an attempt to usurp INEC's constitutional responsibility to conduct elections, declare official results, or announce winners.
The ADC emphasized that it is aware of its rights to freedom of expression under the Constitution and the limitations associated with those rights. The party holds that its rights to collate and share election results are not abrogated by any of the limitation clauses. The ADC said it would proceed with its planned result-monitoring and collation process during the 2027 elections.
The party said its agents will document results, its structures will collate them, and it will communicate verified figures to the public, clearly identifying their source and status. The ADC maintained that INEC's exclusive responsibility to make official declarations does not prevent political parties, election observers, or citizens from collecting information from polling units and sharing such information with the public.
The ADC's result-sharing process will be based on figures documented by its polling-unit agents and subsequently collated through its organisational structures. The party stressed that any figures released by it would be clearly identified as independently collated results and would not be presented as official declarations by INEC.
The ADC's position comes amid renewed debate over the publication of election results by political parties and other stakeholders before the electoral commission makes official declarations. The party said it respects INEC's legal mandate but would continue to exercise what it described as its constitutional right to collect, collate, and communicate election-related information.
The party urged stakeholders to distinguish between independent result collation and the statutory declaration of election results, insisting that the two functions are not mutually exclusive. The ADC said its position is intended to promote transparency and public access to information during the electoral process. The party added that its agents and structures would document results at polling units and make verified figures available to the public, while leaving the formal declaration of winners to INEC.
Key points
- The African Democratic Congress (ADC) will document, collate, and make public polling-unit results during the 2027 general elections.
- The ADC's move is protected by citizens' constitutional rights, the party said.
- The party's result-sharing process will be based on figures documented by its polling-unit agents and subsequently collated through its organisational structures.
