The spectre of internal crisis that had weakened major opposition parties in the country – Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party (LP) – yesterday made a dramatic appearance at the doorsteps of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) when the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ordered the removal of the names of the ADC National Working Committee (NWC) led by Senator David Mark from its official portal.

This is coming as a huge blow to the coalition-backed ADC nine months to the 2027 presidential election and at a time the main opposition to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is witnessing a surge of high-profile defections to its fold, boosting ADC’s chances ahead of the general elections.

Giving a hint of what was to come, a former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, had claimed that INEC might not recognise the ADC presidential candidate for next year’s election. In a long tweet on Wednesday, Fani-Kayode claimed the politicians in the ADC are blowing “hot air” and “granting meaningless interviews”. He, however, warned them to “get their house in order” or they might suffer the greatest humiliation in the history of Nigerian politics.

Fani-Kayode wrote: “They can blow as much hot air, enlist as many big names, engage in as many photo ops, appear on all the television stations for their shallow and meaningless interviews and peddle as much fake news as they like but judging from their internal wrangling and warring factions it is getting clearer by the day that the ADC may not even be in a position to field an INEC-recognised presidential candidate in the next election. Supporting or joining ADC may ultimately end up being an exercise in futility for those that insist on treading that thorny path.

“I appeal to them to get their house in order, bury their differences and stop taking each other to court so that they can produce a legitimate candidate that is recognised by INEC, who we can have the opportunity to beat the hell and nonsense out of in the 2027 presidential election. Winning will not be as much fun unless we give them a good beating in the field of battle. Whichever way, they should prepare for a mighty fall and the greatest humiliation in the history of Nigerian politics.”

Announcing this latest jolt yesterday in a statement, INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information & Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, said after removing the names of David Mark and Rauf Aregbesola from its official portal as National Chairman and National Secretary of the ADC respectively, it would not also recognise Nafiu Bala Gombe, who is seeking to be declared national chairman through the courts, insisting that doing so would prejudice the matter before the court.

The commission said it is suspending all dealings with contending factions of the party, pending the determination of an ongoing suit before the Federal High Court in Abuja and will refrain from monitoring any conventions or congresses organised by groups aligned with the affected leaders.

INEC said its decision follows the Court of Appeal’s ruling in Appeal No. CA/ABJ/145/2026 involving Senator David Mark and Nafiu Bala Gombe, as well as a flurry of conflicting legal communications from both camps over the party’s leadership. INEC said it would maintain the “status quo ante bellum”, the situation as it existed before the suit was filed on September 2, 2025, in line with the appellate court’s preservatory orders aimed at protecting the integrity of the substantive case.

ADC rejects INEC’s decision, blames APC
THE African Democratic Congress (ADC), in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, has rejected INEC’s interpretation of the Court of Appeal ruling, alleging that the electoral body acted under pressure from a government panicked by the opposition momentum despite its efforts to destroy all opposition parties and foist a one-party rule on Nigeria.

The party described INEC’s position as contradictory and inconsistent with facts, insisting that it would publicly clarify these issues, while warning that the commission has effectively sided with the government against Nigerians.

ADC said it is currently reviewing its options and will announce its next steps soon, urging its members and the public to remain steadfast as events unfold.

The statement said: “We reject INEC’s interpretation of the Court of Appeal ruling. We knew that INEC was being pressured by a government that had become jittery from the ADC’s rising momentum even in the face of its relentless assault on all opposition parties.

“INEC’s 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. We are currently reviewing our options, and we shall make these known soon.”

THE ADC crisis stems from a leadership tussle within the party following the resignation of the party’s former National Chairman, Ralph Okey Nwosu, and other executive members in July 2025, which paved the way for the emergence of a new NWC led by Mark.

However, Gombe, who served as Vice National Chairman, challenged the development, arguing that he never resigned and should automatically assume leadership of the party in line with its constitution. He subsequently approached the Federal High Court seeking, among others, an order restraining INEC from recognising Mark’s leadership and directing INEC to acknowledge him as acting chairman.

While the matter was pending, Mark’s camp filed an interlocutory appeal challenging the jurisdiction of the trial court. But in its March 12, 2026, judgment, the Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal and ordered parties to maintain the status quo ante bellum, warning against actions that could undermine the pending proceedings. The appellate court also directed an accelerated hearing of the substantive suit, citing the proximity of the 2027 general election timetable.

INEC disclosed that it received separate letters dated March 16, 2026, from lawyers representing both factions. While the law firm of Suleiman Usman (SAN) urged the commission not to recognise Gombe as acting chairman due to the pending suit, Summit Law Chambers, representing Gombe, demanded enforcement of the Court of Appeal judgment.

The commission, however, reaffirmed its commitment to neutrality, impartiality, and adherence to the rule of law, urging political actors to avoid actions that can undermine the electoral process.

EARLIER yesterday, the Bala faction had staged a protest at the INEC headquarters in Abuja, demanding recognition of Bala as the party’s National Chairman. Convener of the protest, Abdullahi Ahmed, said the demonstration was aimed at reinforcing the rule of law and protecting the integrity of Nigeria’s democratic system.

Addressing the protesters, INEC’s Assistant Director of Security, Mohammed Hamma, said the commission’s leadership was currently out of Abuja attending an official engagement in Lagos.

He said, “Unfortunately, the Chairman is not around. They are all in Lagos attending a workshop. INEC does not have anything to hide. If representatives return after the break, they can follow up on the matter.”

Similarly, the faction had also sent a petition to INEC seeking to stop the party’s planned congresses scheduled for April 7-14. The petition was sent in by a chieftain of the party in Cross River State, Dr MacFarlane Ejah, calling on INEC to ensure that any leadership transition in the ADC follows the strict prescriptions of its 2018 constitution and the Electoral Act.

Ejah, who is the Vice Chairman (Central), & Director Policy and Strategy, said the 2018 constitution does not recognise “Interim” or “Caretaker” structures. According to him, Article 18 (i and ii) and Article 17 (c) are unambiguous: officers at all levels, from the Ward to the National stage, must be produced through elective congresses.

“The 2026 Electoral Act [section 82(4)] reinforces this by mandating that political parties must operate through democratically elected organs. There is no ‘emergency power’ in our constitution that allows a group of individuals to bypass the ballot box and appoint themselves as leaders. The presence of INEC officials at that meeting does not grant ‘legal life’ to a process that was ‘dead on arrival’. We have given INEC a seven-day window to act. Should they remain derelict in their duty, we shall be heading to the High Court to command due compliance with the law.”

Rattled by the developments, the ADC has alleged a plot to stage a ‘Mark must go’ protest today (Thursday). The National Publicity Secretary of the ADC, Bolaji Abdullahi, who made the allegations on his X handle on Wednesday, said the option of the paid protest was activated after an unsuccessful move to pressure INEC into dismantling the Mark-led leadership of the party. The statement was issued hours before INEC delisted the party from its portal.

“The plan is simple: following the milestone movement of Rabiu Kwankwaso to the ADC, a paid crowd, posturing as aggrieved party members, will take to the streets demanding ‘David Mark Must Go,’ a move by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in a desperate attempt to destabilise the party,” Abdullahi said.

“After meeting a brick wall with INEC, they have now changed tactics, but the objectives remain the same. Information reaching us this morning is that a public protest is being planned for Thursday, in Abuja, sponsored by a particularly notorious minister. They expect that a protest will give oxygen to a case already suffocating in the courts under the weight of its own illegality.”

The party said APC is afraid of what happens when the Nigerian people start paying attention and begin to believe that change is possible.

Also, a member of the National Working Committee (NWC), Kenneth Okonkwo, has accused the APC of attempting to weaken the opposition party ahead of the 2027 general elections. The ADC chieftain alleged that APC was using “some charlatans” to “truncate” the ADC and undermine its coalition strategy because President Bola Tinubu does not want any political competition.

Speaking in an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Wednesday, the actor-cum-lawyer criticised attempts to influence INEC, saying: “A lawyer went to court seeking relief, and now some are claiming the court has ruled in their favour when it has not. This is the second letter they are writing to INEC. The first, on March 16, was treated as a useless letter. Now, under pressure from APC, they are pushing Joash Amupitan to act or resign,” he said.

Okonkwo clarified that it was former INEC chairman, Yakubu Mahmood, who recognised the ADC leadership after “18 months of negotiations” and a thorough review. His comments came after a factional leader of ADC, Nafiu Gombe, threatened to take contempt action against INEC Chairman, Amupitan, for recognising Mark’s faction as the party leadership. He accused INEC of defying the court by inviting Mark’s group to meetings and monitoring their activities.

Responding to demands from Gombe, Okonkwo described the move as “ridiculous.” He claimed that Gombe had officially resigned from the party on May 17, 2025, with his resignation taking effect on May 26, 2025. “He stated clearly in his letter that he was resigning to allow for a smooth coalition and restructuring. After resigning, APC went back to him, thinking they could use him to truncate the ADC because they are desperate,” Okonkwo added.

The coalition comprises prominent opposition figures who recently left parties like the PDP, LP, and NNPP, including Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Rabiu Kwankwaso, Nasir el-Rufai, Rotimi Amaechi, and ADC leaders Mark (Interim Chairman) and Rauf Aregbesola (Interim Secretary). The alliance was formally unveiled in July 2025, though the ADC itself has existed since 2005.

MEANWHILE, the Yoruba Ronu Leadership Forum has condemned the removal of ADC NWC from INEC’s official website, describing the action as unjustified and undemocratic. In a statement signed by its President, Akin Malaolu, the group expressed strong displeasure over what it termed the “sudden removal and apparent tampering” with the list of ADC’s national leadership. It argued that the executive committee had earlier been duly recognised by the electoral body under the leadership of Mahmood Yakubu, without any formal challenge at the time.

The forum maintained that, given the subsisting legal disputes surrounding the party’s leadership, INEC ought to have maintained the status quo pending the resolution of all cases before competent courts. It stressed that any alteration to the party’s leadership structure before a definitive judicial pronouncement undermines due process and raises concerns about institutional neutrality.

The group further criticised what it described as the role of an “Amupitan-led INEC,” alleging that the decision was not guided by law but rather influenced by external political pressures. According to the statement, such actions erode public confidence in democratic institutions and threaten the integrity of Nigeria’s electoral system.

“This is not democracy in practice but a clear case of lawlessness,” the statement read, warning that actions perceived as partisan could weaken the credibility of the electoral umpire ahead of future political processes. The group called on INEC to immediately review its decision and ensure that all actions taken remain within the bounds of the law, transparency, and fairness.

Also, human rights lawyer, Festus Ogun, reacting to INEC’s delisting of ADC NWC, said: “This country is gone, finished. Courts have no business delving into intra-party disputes and using preservatory orders to shrink the political space (when the court lacks jurisdiction) is not only unconstitutional, but also an abuse.”

IN another development, ADC has called on INEC to urgently confirm the authenticity of a leaked memo suggesting plans for a nationwide voter revalidation exercise, warning that if true, the move would be a “recipe for chaos” capable of disenfranchising millions of Nigerians ahead of the elections.

In a statement signed by Abdullahi, the party argued that requiring already registered voters to revalidate their details less than ten months before the polls would suppress turnout, deepen voter apathy, and unfairly exclude those unable to travel, adding that the only likely beneficiary of such confusion is the ruling party.

The ADC also questioned why such a major exercise is emerging through a leak just days before its proposed commencement, cautioning INEC against actions that could be perceived as aiding electoral manipulation, and urging the Commission to abandon the plan and reassure Nigerians of its commitment to a credible and inclusive electoral process.

“At a time when voter apathy is already a major challenge, any policy that adds new barriers to participation will only suppress turnout further. And when turnout is suppressed, the credibility of the electoral process is inevitably called into question,” adding that no matter the intention, INEC must be careful not to lend itself to accusations of helping the ruling party rig the elections before the votes are even cast.

The ADC, therefore, called on INEC to abandon the plan and reassure Nigerians that no policy will be introduced at this critical time that could disenfranchise voters or undermine confidence in the electoral process. “Nigeria’s democracy cannot afford avoidable disruptions. The right to vote must not be subjected to last-minute administrative experiments.”

The party has also mocked the ruling APC following its leadership’s meeting with Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, amid speculation over his possible defection. Reacting in a post on X, the ADC National Publicity Secretary, Abdullahi, described the move as a desperate attempt by the ruling party to retain the governor.

“The hustle is real! A few hours after Governor Bala indicated his plan to join the ADC, the APC dispatched its National Chairman and governors to Bauchi to beg him, promising to receive him on his terms,” Abdullahi wrote.

He added that the development showed how much impact a potential defection could have on the political landscape. “So, it takes only one defection to bring these people down from their haughty horses. But we know it is too late. Sorry. ADC is rising. Nigeria is rising,” he stated.

APC leaders had earlier held a closed-door meeting with Mohammed at the Government House in Bauchi. The delegation included the party’s National Chairman, Nentawe Yilwatda, and Kano State Governor, Abba Yusuf. Both Mohammed and Yilwatda declined to comment on the outcome of the meeting.

The meeting followed the governor’s indication that he may leave the PDP, where he currently serves as chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum. Mohammed had earlier signalled that the ADC is his preferred destination, citing ongoing consultations as he weighs his political future.