{"id":98471,"date":"2026-04-08T17:51:58","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T17:51:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/?p=98471"},"modified":"2026-04-08T17:52:47","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T17:52:47","slug":"98471","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/?p=98471","title":{"rendered":"POWER PLAY IN ABUJA: ADC Heavyweights Storm INEC, Demand Chairman\u2019s Exit as 2027 Battlelines Ignite"},"content":{"rendered":"

Abuja witnessed a political earthquake on Wednesday as some of Nigeria\u2019s most formidable opposition figures – former Vice President Atiku Abubakar former Senate President David Mark, former House of Representatives Speaker and governor Aminu Tambuwal, former Governors Rauf Aregbesola, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, and Peter Obi\u00a0 – led a charged procession to the headquarters of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), transforming simmering tensions into a full-blown confrontation that could reshape Nigeria\u2019s political landscape ahead of 2027.<\/span><\/p>\n

In what is being described as a battle over the soul of Nigeria\u2019s democracy,<\/span> the rallying cry of <\/span>#OccupyINEC<\/b><\/span>, the protest – though peaceful – throbbed with urgency, anger, and unmistakable political symbolism. What began months ago as an internal leadership tussle within the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has now exploded into a national standoff, pitting opposition forces against the very institution tasked with safeguarding democracy.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDisgraceful and Unbecoming\u201d<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Standing shoulder-to-shoulder with party leaders, ADC National Chairman Mark delivered a blistering rebuke of INEC\u2019s leadership, accusing its chairman, Joash Amupitan, of dragging the electoral body into partisan waters.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYour recent media interview was not only disgraceful and unbecoming of the high office you occupy,\u201d the party declared, \u201cbut it also exposed a troubling willingness to descend into partisan controversy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

At the heart of the outrage lies a constitutional flashpoint: the ADC insists that INEC has overstepped its bounds by interpreting court rulings – an act it says belongs solely to the judiciary.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe interpretation of court judgments is the exclusive preserve of the judiciary,\u201d the party thundered. \u201cFor the Chairman of INEC to publicly assume that role amounts to a serious constitutional breach.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

A Crisis of Confidence<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

What makes this confrontation particularly combustible is the ADC\u2019s claim that INEC had previously validated its leadership processes – only to now reverse course under alleged pressure.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to party officials, multiple National Executive Committee meetings in 2025 produced the current leadership, with INEC representatives present and affirming the outcomes. The Commission even backed this position in a sworn affidavit before the Federal High Court.<\/span><\/p>\n

Now, the party alleges, there are \u201cefforts being made to recant testimonies\u201d – a move it describes as \u201cunconscionable\u201d and dangerous for democratic stability.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is not only improper; it is dangerous for the credibility of our electoral system,\u201d the ADC warned, raising fears that Nigeria\u2019s electoral umpire may be losing its neutrality at a critical political moment.<\/span><\/p>\n

Opposition Unites: \u201cWe Will Resist\u201d<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

The protest drew in opposition firepower, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who described the demonstration as a resistance movement against creeping authoritarianism.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis protest sends a clear signal that any attempt to weaken our democracy will be resisted,\u201d Atiku declared, urging the international community to pay close attention.<\/span><\/p>\n

Kwankwaso echoed the sentiment, calling the gathering a \u201cunified stand\u201d against what he termed INEC\u2019s \u201ccompromised neutrality.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cToday, I joined fellow coalition leaders and committed democrats to condemn the clear partisanship,\u201d he said, warning that Nigerians would not tolerate actions capable of undermining the democratic process.<\/span><\/p>\n

The 72-Hour Ultimatum<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Behind the rhetoric lies a ticking clock.<\/span><\/p>\n

ADC Youth Leader Balarabe Rufai issued a 72-hour ultimatum to INEC: restore the Mark-led National Working Committee on its official portal – or face nationwide civic resistance.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf INEC fails to comply,\u201d he warned, \u201cwe will initiate nationwide, peaceful and lawful civic action across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory\u2026 and sustain resistance until full restoration of democratic order.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The demands are sweeping and uncompromising:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 Immediate resignation or removal of the INEC chairman <\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 Withdrawal of \u201coffensive\u201d correspondence to the ADC <\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 A formal public apology <\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 A binding commitment to non-interference in party affairs <\/span><\/p>\n

A Deeper Political Fault Line<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

The crisis traces back to a disputed leadership battle within the ADC following the resignation of its former executives and the emergence of Mark as chairman – moves tied to the party\u2019s adoption as a coalition platform for 2027.<\/span><\/p>\n

But the situation escalated when INEC withdrew recognition of the Mark-led leadership, citing a Court of Appeal order to maintain the previous state of affairs. The ADC insists that the \u201clast uncontested position\u201d clearly favors Mark\u2019s leadership.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat changed?\u201d Rufai asked pointedly. \u201cPower, pressure and political interference.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA One-Party State Will Not Stand\u201d<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Civil society voices are now joining the fray. Activist Ibrahim Garba Wala warned of an agenda to weaken opposition politics in Nigeria.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe attempt to make Nigeria a one-party state will not stand,\u201d he said. \u201cIt will be rejected by the people.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

With legal fireworks looming, mass protests threatened, and political alliances hardening, the road to 2027 is already shaping up to be one of the most fiercely contested in the nation\u2019s history.<\/span><\/p>\n

And at the center of it all stands a question that could define the republic: <\/span>Who guards the guardians of the vote?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Abuja witnessed a political earthquake on Wednesday as some of Nigeria\u2019s most formidable opposition figures – former Vice President Atiku Abubakar former Senate President David Mark, former House of Representatives Speaker and governor Aminu Tambuwal, former Governors Rauf Aregbesola, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, and Peter Obi\u00a0 – led a charged procession to the headquarters of Independent […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":98472,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,8],"tags":[7351,55,154,819,1389,691],"class_list":["post-98471","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news","category-politics","tag-amupitan","tag-atiku","tag-inec","tag-mark","tag-power","tag-protest"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98471","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=98471"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98471\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/98472"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=98471"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=98471"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=98471"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}