Party Says Electoral Body Has Bowed to Pressure As Commission Cites Court of Appeal Order, Freezes All Dealings Pending High Court Ruling
Abuja is now staring at a fresh opposition crisis that could reshape the road to 2027. The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has rejected the decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). They oppose the move to stop recognising the David Mark-led National Working Committee (NWC). The ADC accuses the electoral body of contradiction, bias, and surrendering to pressure.
INEC, however, insists it is only obeying the Court of Appeal. It is preserving the status quo until the Federal High Court decides the dispute.
The row erupted after INEC made an announcement. INEC said it would no longer deal with either side in the ADC leadership war. It would stop monitoring meetings, congresses, and conventions organised by any faction. INEC would also remove the names of the current Mark-led leadership from its portal.
The commission said it took the step after reviewing the Court of Appeal’s ruling in Appeal No. CA/ABJ/145/2026 and the related filings before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
INEC’s position is that the dispute is now frozen in legal amber. It said the party’s present leadership emerged after the resignation of the Ralph Okey Nwosu-led executive in July 2025. Still, Nafiu Bala Gombe, the party’s former vice-national chairman, insists he should have assumed control under the party’s constitution.
INEC also said the controversy began with a Federal High Court case filed on 2 September 2025. An appeal followed, but the Court of Appeal dismissed it on 12 March 2026.
The commission’s own explanation matters. INEC said it received two conflicting letters on 16 March 2026 from rival legal teams. One letter urged it not to recognise Gombe. The other letter demanded enforcement of the appellate court’s ruling.
It said it chose neutrality. It did this by maintaining the position that existed before the dispute deepened. It also refused to take any step that could make the case before the trial court pointless.
But ADC is not buying that reading. Its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said the party “reject[s] INEC’s interpretation.” He accused the electoral umpire of being pushed by the government. This is because of the party’s rising political profile.
He described INEC’s statement as contradictory. He said the commission had “caved to pressure.” He added that the party was reviewing its legal options.
That is the political grenade now sitting under the 14 April 2026 ADC national convention. INEC has made it clear. It will not monitor the convention. This includes any meeting or congress called by any faction. They will wait until the Federal High Court settles the matter.
That situation puts the party’s organisational timetable in immediate doubt. It also gives its opponents a powerful talking point. This happens just as coalition politics is becoming more intense ahead of 2027.
The deeper concern is not just who signs ADC letters. The real question is whether a fast-rising opposition platform can hold itself together. Its leadership legitimacy is being disputed in open court and in public.
The party has spent months working hard. It is trying to present itself as a serious alternative to the ruling APC. This effort intensified, especially after high-profile names began clustering around it.
Now the leadership crisis threatens to turn that momentum into noise, delay and legal drag. That is an inference from the public record, but it is a strong one.
There is also a bigger institutional question. INEC says it is being scrupulously neutral and obeying the Court of Appeal. ADC says the same action is proof of political interference.
Until the Federal High Court gives a clearer ruling, both sides will keep claiming the moral high ground. Both will likely try to use the dispute to mobilise supporters.
That is how what began as a party leadership fight has become a test of credibility for the umpire itself.
For now, the facts are brutally simple. INEC has withdrawn recognition from the David Mark-led ADC NWC. It has removed the leadership from its portal. Additionally, it has suspended dealings with all factions.
ADC has hit back, rejected the interpretation, accused the commission of bowing to pressure, and signalled a court battle. The next move is likely to come from the lawyers, not the politicians.
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