The National Publicity Secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Mr. Abdulahi, has called for calm and adherence to due process following the decision by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to remove the party\u2019s National Working Committee (NWC) from its official portal.<\/p>\n
Reacting to the development, the party\u2019s spokesperson said the ADC was carefully reviewing INEC\u2019s action and the underlying Court of Appeal judgment, stressing that all stakeholders must respect the rule of law while the matter remains before the courts.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe party remains committed to democratic principles and due process. We urge our members and supporters to remain calm and avoid actions that could escalate tensions as the legal process unfolds,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The party described INEC\u2019s actions as a surrender to external political influence. \u201cWe reject INEC\u2019s interpretation of the Court of Appeal ruling. We knew that INEC was being pressured by a government that has become jittery from the ADC\u2019s rising momentum even in the face of its relentless assault on all opposition parties,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n
He added that the statement from the commission contained logical inconsistencies that the party intended to make public.<\/p>\n
\u201cINEC\u2019s press statement is full of contradictions that fly in the face of both facts and reason. We shall clarify these contradictions for all to see. What is clear, however, is that INEC has caved to pressure and has chosen to side with the government against the Nigerian people,\u201d the statement added.<\/p>\n
As the political climate intensifies, the ADC confirmed it is currently conducting a comprehensive review of its legal and political options to address the de-listing of its top leadership. While a formal challenge is expected in the coming days, the party called on its supporters to remain calm and await further instructions. \u201cWe are currently reviewing our options, and we shall make these known soon. Meanwhile, we call on our members and all Nigerians to remain steadfast as they await further directives. Nigeria is rising. ADC is rising,\u201d Abdullahi concluded.<\/p>\n
INEC had, on Wednesday, announced the removal of the names of the NWC led by David Mark from its portal, citing compliance with a March 12, 2026 ruling of the Court of Appeal. The judgment directed all parties to maintain the status quo ante bellum pending the determination of a substantive suit before the Federal High Court in Abuja.<\/p>\n
According to the commission, although the Mark-led NWC was uploaded on September 9, 2025, the action came after a legal challenge had already been filed, necessitating the reversal to avoid interfering with judicial proceedings.<\/p>\n
INEC also declined a request by a rival faction led by Nafiu Bala to recognise him as acting national chairman, warning that such recognition would violate the appellate court\u2019s directive. It further announced a suspension of all engagements with the party\u2019s factions, including the monitoring of meetings and conventions, until a final court decision is reached.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Commission shall not receive any further communication or deal with any of the parties or groups pertaining to the affairs of the party,\u201d INEC stated.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, supporters of the Bala faction staged a protest at INEC\u2019s headquarters in Abuja, demanding the recognition of their leader in line with their interpretation of the court ruling.<\/p>\n
The demonstrators carried placards with inscriptions such as \u201cObey the Court\u201d and \u201cINEC must recognise Nafiu Bala,\u201d accusing the electoral body of undermining judicial authority.<\/p>\n
Speaking during the protest, Abimiku Monday, Special Adviser on Strategy to Bala, alleged that INEC had failed to act despite being notified of the court decision, warning that such actions could weaken public confidence in democratic institutions.<\/p>\n
Other speakers, including activist Abdullahi Ahmed and civil society leader Basah Mohammed, said the protest was aimed at defending democratic principles and called for institutional accountability.<\/p>\n
However, INEC maintained that its actions strictly followed the court order, which it said required all parties to refrain from steps that could prejudice the outcome of the case.<\/p>\n
Addressing the protesters, INEC\u2019s Assistant Director of Security, Mohammed Hamma, appealed for calm and assured them that their petition would be delivered to the commission\u2019s leadership.<\/p>\n
The ADC leadership crisis, involving the Mark-led faction and Bala\u2019s camp, remains the subject of multiple legal battles, with both sides seeking judicial affirmation of their claims. The dispute now awaits final resolution in court, as INEC distances itself from all party-related activities pending the outcome.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The National Publicity Secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Mr. Abdulahi, has called for calm and adherence to due process following the decision by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to remove the party\u2019s National Working Committee (NWC) from its official portal. Reacting to the development, the party\u2019s spokesperson said the ADC was carefully […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-98350","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-news","category-politics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98350","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=98350"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98350\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=98350"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=98350"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=98350"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}