Olusegun ARIYO
Even with the Public Outrage and concerns that 2027 may gradually be sliding into one Party on the ballot box of the independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) come 2027, concerns have once again sprung up over the announcement and removal of David Mark and Rauf Aregbesola from its official portal as the National Chairman and the National Secretary of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, respectively.
INEC also announced that it would suspend recognition of all factions within the party and refrain from monitoring any conventions or congresses organised by groups aligned with the affected leaders.
Urban Express News reports that the announcement has created confusion and anxiety in the party.
INEC said the decision followed a leadership crisis within the ADC and a recent judgment of the Court of Appeal in Suit No. CA/ABJ/145/2026, which has further complicated the dispute.
INEC disclosed that it had received a letter dated March 16, 2026, from Suleiman Usman SAN & Co, warning against any recognition of Nafiu Bala Gombe as acting national chairman while legal proceedings are ongoing.
The Commission also said it would not recognise Nafiu Bala Gombe, who is at the centre of the crisis and seeking to be declared national chairman through the courts.
The decision, it said, will remain in place pending the final determination of a substantive suit before the Federal High Court.
In a statement, the National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mallam Mohammed Kudu Haruna, said the Commission remained committed to neutrality.
However, the development has not gone down well with the ADC and some Nigerians.
Responding to INEC’s decision, ADC, in a statement posted on X on Wednesday, through its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, accused INEC of acting under pressure from the Federal Government, which he described as “jittery” over the ADC’s growing influence.
Abdullahi said the commission’s position was flawed and riddled with contradictions, arguing that it failed to align with both facts and reason.
He further alleged that INEC had “caved to pressure” and taken sides with the government against the Nigerian people amid what he described as sustained attacks on opposition parties.
The ADC spokesman said the party was currently reviewing its options and would make its next steps known in due course.
“We knew that INEC was being pressured by a government that has become jittery from the ADC’s rising momentum even in the face of its relentless assault on all opposition parties,” he said.
Similarly, a human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, criticised the INEC over its decision on the leadership crisis in the ADC, alleging a plot to undermine credible elections ahead of 2027.
Effiong, in a post on X on Wednesday, said recent developments surrounding the ADC raised concerns about a “well-orchestrated sinister conspiracy” to truncate a transparent electoral process.
Effiong questioned the basis of the dispute, noting that, according to available information, members of the party’s executive had resigned to pave the way for a new leadership led by Mark and Aregbesola, which the party’s National Executive Committee subsequently ratified.
He argued that leadership disputes within political parties had traditionally been regarded as internal matters, raising concerns over judicial intervention in the ADC crisis.
Effiong also referenced the Court of Appeal’s directive for parties to maintain the status quo ante bellum, questioning whether this implied a leadership vacuum within the party until the case is resolved.
He further accused INEC of potentially acting in favour of the ruling party, suggesting that the developments could be aimed at weakening opposition ahead of the next general elections.
“Whose script is this INEC playing?
“It seems that the ruling party, which prides itself on having over thirty governors in its fold, is so scared of a fair contestation.
“If it is the desire of INEC for Bola Tinubu to contest as a sole candidate–unopposed in 2027, let the Commission say so publicly.
“It will save the country the billions of Naira budgeted for the presidential election,” he said.
On his part, former federal lawmaker, Senator Shehu Sani, likened the ADC to a “used vehicle” beset with multiple problems, amid the party’s deepening leadership crisis.
Sani, in a post on X on Wednesday, said inheriting an existing political party comes with structural challenges, unlike registering a new one.
According to him, “When you buy or inherit a used vehicle, you’ll have to deal with problems associated with the Engine, brake pads, Tyres, Shaft, and other things.”
“That is the situation of the ADC. That is the difference between registering a new party and inheriting an old one,” he said, adding that such was the situation currently facing the ADC.
