The Imo State chapter of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has raised serious concerns over reports that the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), 27 local government electoral officers, and other officials were sponsored by the state government to undertake a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.
In a statement released Tuesday by the party’s spokesperson, Chief Macdonald Amadi, the ADC said it was compelled by duty and conscience to alert the public, security agencies, human rights organizations, the international democratic community, and donor institutions to what it described as a “deeply troubling development.”
“INEC was not created to be grateful to politicians,” the statement said. “It was created to uphold the Constitution. INEC was not designed to be sponsored; it was designed to be sovereign.”
The party warned that, if the reports are accurate, the alleged sponsorship would constitute a serious breach of the independence, integrity, and moral authority of Nigeria’s electoral body. According to the ADC, it sends a dangerous signal that those tasked with safeguarding the electoral process may have compromised their neutrality.
“This act is akin to a vote of no confidence passed by Imo State’s Independent Electoral Commission on itself. When an umpire accepts favors from one team, the crowd no longer trusts the whistle,” the statement said.
The party further cautioned that democracy does not always collapse through coups or overt aggression; sometimes, it erodes quietly through compromises, indulgences, and silence. “As an African proverb warns: ‘The bush baby cried in the night, and the child died in the morning.’ Warnings are often whispered before disasters roar. If democracy in Imo State suffers, INEC must not feign innocence,” it added.
ADC called on Nigerian security agencies, civil society organizations, human rights institutions, and the international community to investigate the allegations and safeguard the neutrality of the country’s electoral institutions.
“Democracy is preserved by systems and defended by institutions. When these institutions wobble, nations fall. This is not about ADC alone; this is about the soul of elections, the future of Imo State, and the integrity of Nigeria’s democracy. We will not remain silent while the altar of democracy is traded for symbols of compromise,” the statement concluded.
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