By Aminu Garko
The African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council, ADC-PCC, has called on all eligible Nigerians to turn out en masse to collect their Permanent Voter Cards, PVCs, as the nationwide collection exercise organised by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, commences today.
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The council assured Nigerians that their votes must count in the 2027 general election, declaring that no individual or political party should be allowed to manipulate the electoral process or subvert the will of the people.
In a statement issued on Friday by its Director of Media and Publicity, Kola Ologbondiyan, the ADC-PCC dismissed the notion that votes would not count and that the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, would simply write results in favour of its candidates, describing such claims as false, deceptive and designed to discourage voter participation.
“Go and collect your PVC. Your voter’s card is your power and your guarantee that you will vote on Jan. 16, 2027.
“The notion that votes will not count and that the APC will write results is deceitful and unattainable. Nobody will be allowed to manipulate the 2027 general election,” Ologbondiyan said.
He alleged that the narrative was being promoted by agents of the ruling APC to instil fear, encourage voter apathy and discourage Nigerians from participating in the electoral process.
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According to him, the strategy reflects the ruling party’s fear of rejection by Nigerians at the polls following its poor performance in government.
“The APC knows it cannot win a free, fair and credible election after plunging Nigerians into hunger, hardship and insecurity. That is why it wants Nigerians to believe that results will be written. It is a lie. The era of writing results in hotel rooms is gone forever,” he stated.
Ologbondiyan noted that the Electoral Act, as amended, the deployment of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, the INEC Result Viewing Portal, IReV, and the heightened political consciousness of Nigerians have strengthened safeguards against electoral manipulation.
“Every polling unit will be protected. Every vote will be counted, and every vote will count. Nigerians are more determined than ever to take back their country through the ballot,” he added.
The ADC-PCC called on traditional rulers, religious leaders, youth groups, women’s organisations and civil society organisations to mobilise eligible Nigerians to collect their PVCs and disregard attempts to discourage them from exercising their democratic rights.
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“We urge all Nigerians not to be deterred. Go and collect your PVC today and keep it safe. In 2027, you will vote, and your vote will count. No one can stop the will of the people,” Ologbondiyan said.
The council further assured Nigerians that the ADC, under its presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, would deploy polling agents to every polling unit across the country to monitor the electoral process, protect votes and prevent any attempt to steal the people’s mandate.