Heaven will not fall if the Independent National Electoral Commission bars the African Democratic Congress from participating in the 2027 elections, says a chieftain of the ruling party.
“As they scramble in search of another political platform to appropriate, they would be well advised to acquaint themselves with the legal principle of caveat emptor-let the buyer beware,” said Seye Oladejo, the spokesman in Lagos for the All Progressives Congress, in a statement on Tuesday. “The electoral process is bigger than any single political party. Heaven will not fall if the ADC or any other party fails to appear on the ballot as a result of its own non-compliance.”
The statement faulted the ADC’s allegation that INEC’s derecognition of the party’s leaders may bar it from fielding candidates in the 2027 elections.
Acknowledging the importance of political pluralism as a cornerstone of democracy, Mr Oladejo stated that democracy should be governed by laws and institutional procedures rather than by sentiment, entitlement or alarmist propaganda.
“INEC, as the constitutionally empowered electoral body, operates strictly within the bounds of the law to safeguard the integrity, order, and credibility of the electoral process. Compliance is not optional,” the APC chieftain stated. “Any political party that fails to meet stipulated requirements must bear the full consequences of its own actions.”
Mr Oladejo pointed out that the APC endured similar legal and electoral consequences and that ADC’s dilemma is not exceptional.
Mr Oladejo stated that the APC crisis in the 2019 elections in Zamfara resulted in the party being barred from fielding candidates over claims of invalid primaries, and that the party’s similar exclusion in Rivers stemmed from internal conflicts.
“It is therefore disingenuous for a faction-ridden opposition party to externalise blame and attempt to cast the ruling party as a scapegoat for what are clearly self-inflicted wounds. The ADC’s growing reputation for disorder, indiscipline, and procedural recklessness has reduced it to a subject of public ridicule,” Mr Oladejo said. “Their failure to demonstrate discipline, cohesion, and respect for due process raises serious doubts about their fitness for democratic engagement.”
He added, “It is perhaps no coincidence that some among them were active participants or apologists in eras where arbitrariness, rather than the rule of law, prevailed. Their evident discomfort with constitutional order and institutional discipline is a reflection of that legacy.”
