INEC Chairman Issues Stern Warning to ADC Leadership Over Court Order Defiance
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, has issued a direct warning to leaders of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) regarding their planned party congresses and national convention. He emphasized that proceeding with these activities in defiance of an existing court order could lead to severe legal repercussions, including potential derecognition of the party's leadership faction.
Legal Foundations and Electoral Precedents Cited
Speaking during an interview on Arise Television, Amupitan clarified that INEC's position is firmly rooted in a judicial directive that restrains political parties from taking actions that could undermine ongoing court proceedings. He stressed that the commission's decision to derecognize the ADC faction associated with Senator David Mark and former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola was not arbitrary but based on this court pronouncement.
"INEC did not just take a decision. We didn't wake up one day and make this choice. There was an order of court that led to it," Amupitan stated. He urged the ADC to carefully consider whether their planned congress and convention contravene the court's instructions, warning that any steps taken could render court proceedings ineffective.
The INEC chairman highlighted that the matter of conducting congresses and conventions is already subject to litigation, with a motion seeking to restrain such actions still pending in court. He advised all parties to maintain the status quo until the suit is resolved, noting that proceeding with the convention despite the court order could invalidate any outcomes, including electoral victories.
Historical Examples of Electoral Consequences
Drawing from past electoral cases, Amupitan cited the examples of Zamfara and Plateau states, where failures to comply with party processes and court directives resulted in the nullification of electoral wins. "Let me tell you what happened in Zamfara. It happened in the past. We don't want to conduct an election without this early warning, and at the end of the day, after you have won, the court again will come and declare the election invalid," he explained.
He further noted that such invalidations could lead to the candidate with the second-highest number of votes being declared the winner, as seen in Plateau State during recent elections. "Failure to obey the court order has consequences. They are at liberty to do whatever they want to do, but INEC does not want to go into this situation again," Amupitan added.
APC Dismisses Claims of Opposition Weakening
In a related development, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has strongly dismissed allegations from the Senator David Mark faction of the ADC that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is deliberately weakening opposition parties to facilitate a one-party state ahead of the 2027 elections. The APC described these claims as "fallacious, malicious propaganda" and urged the Mark-led ADC to focus on resolving its internal leadership crises instead of blaming others.
Addressing a press conference in Abuja, the National Secretary of the APC, Senator Surajudeen Ajibola Basiru, argued that the so-called opposition coalition led by Mark is attempting to mislead Nigerians and the international community by misrepresenting legal rulings and overstating its electoral relevance. "It is imperative to lay bare the facts and show the falsehood being peddled by Senator David Mark and his co-travellers," Basiru stated.
APC Details Legal and Internal Challenges
Basiru emphasized that Nigeria currently has 19 registered political parties, all legally capable of contesting the 2027 elections, countering the claim that President Tinubu is weakening opposition. He explained that the Mark-led ADC's leadership crisis is purely internal and has been exacerbated by procedural missteps in the courts.
The APC official detailed how the Court of Appeal dismissed Mark's appeal for being premature, as key jurisdictional issues were still pending at the trial court. The appellate court directed all parties to maintain the status quo ante bellum and refrain from any actions that could undermine ongoing proceedings, with costs of N2,000,000 awarded in favor of the respondent.
"Where does President Bola Tinubu feature in their predicament, if not in outright fallacious and malicious propaganda?" Basiru questioned. He defended INEC's decision not to recognize either faction of the ADC, stating that its actions were in strict compliance with the Court of Appeal orders.
Criticism of Defiance and Calls for Rule of Law
Basiru criticized the Mark faction's insistence on proceeding with party congresses and conventions despite pending litigation, labeling it as a disregard for the rule of law. "The public defiant posture of Senator Mark and his factional ADC leadership against court orders not only amounts to self-help but recklessness," he said.
He also dismissed the faction's call for the removal of the INEC Chairman and commissioners as "preposterous" and a demonstration of misunderstanding of the constitutional processes governing INEC. Basiru highlighted that electoral credibility and public trust—not press conferences—determine national relevance and opposition leadership.
"No amount of external finger-pointing can erase their consistent failures or resolve their lingering leadership issues," he noted, referencing the APC's own experience in Zamfara State as an example of internal crises being resolved through adherence to the rule of law. He reiterated that the APC and President Tinubu bear no responsibility for the ADC's legal and internal challenges.
