ADC rejects INEC’s withdrawal of recognition, alleges plan to destabilise party

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused the federal government of pressuring INEC chairperson Joash Amupitan to interfere in the party’s leadership crisis that culminated in the commission withdrawing its recognition for the party pending a court ruling on the leadership crisis.

In a statement posted on X by its spokesperson, Bolaji Abdullahi, ADC said the All Progressives Congress, APC-led federal government is attempting to destabilise the opposition party following Rabiu Kwankwaso’s defection from the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) to it.

Mr Abdullahi said the defection of Mr Kwankwaso, a former governor of Kano State, had sent jitters to the APC-led federal government.

Mr Kwankwaso, who came fourth in the 2023 presidential election won by President Bola Tinubu, defected to the ADC on 30 March.

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The ADC is one of the largest opposition parties, and has some prominent politicians as its members. They include Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi and Mr Kwankwaso, who came second, third and fourth places respectively, in the last presidential election.

The opposition party also rejected INEC’s withdrawal of recognition for its leadership.

The ADC also claimed that Nafiu Bala, who is challenging David Mark’s leadership of the party in court, had already resigned from the party since 18 May, 2025. Mr Abdullahi posted a letter said to be of Mr Bala’s resignation on his X handle. PREMIUM TIMES couldn’t immediately verify the authenticity of the letter.

Mr Abdullahi said the party on Tuesday accused the ruling APC of plans to destabilise the party, following Mr Kwankwaso’s defection to ADC.

In a post on his X handle, Mr Abdullahi claimed that one of President Tinubu’s ministers is sponsoring a protest against the David Mark-led ADC for Thursday, 2 April.

He said the APC government is trying to hijack the leadership of the ADC, which he described as the only viable opposition party left in the country.

He added that the party will resist the attempts by all lawful and necessary means, while remaining law-abiding citizens.

“Information reaching us this morning is that a public protest is being planned for tomorrow, Thursday, 2nd April, in Abuja, sponsored by a particularly notorious minister. Their expectation is that a protest will give oxygen to a case that is already suffocating in the courts under the weight of its own illegality,” he posted.

“The plan is simple: a paid crowd, posturing as aggrieved party members, will take to the streets demanding ‘David Mark Must Go’.

“The plan by the ruling APC government to hijack the leadership of the ADC, the only viable opposition party left in the country, is real. If anything, it has assumed a new level of desperation in the past few days. They are not just afraid of our momentum. They are afraid of what happens when the Nigerian people start paying attention and begin to believe that change is possible.

INEC freezes ADC recognition

PREMIUM TIMES reported that INEC suspended the recognition of the ADC, in compliance with a court of appeal ruling that directed parties, including INEC, to maintain the status quo pending the determination of the leadership crisis suit at the Federal High Court.

A former vice-national chairperson of the party, Nafiu Bala, had challenged David Mark’s emergence as the party’s national chairperson following the resignation of Ralph Nwosu.

Mr Bala is challenging Mr Mark’s leadership of the party at the Federal High Court in Abuja, arguing that he should assume leadership in line with the party’s constitution. The case is still pending.

Meanwhile, Mr Mark’s camp filed an interlocutory appeal ahead of the federal high court’s judgment, but was dismissed by the court of appeal.

In dismissing Mr Mark’s appeal, the appellate court also asked all parties to maintain the status quo until the federal high court ruled on the case.

In compliance with this court order, INEC said it has stopped dealing with any faction of the party until the case at the federal high court is determined.

ADC speaks

But the ADC maintained that the situation is “an onslaught against the party” and an attempt to discourage other high-profile figures.

The party alleged that the INEC’s decision is centred on a 28 March letter by a team of lawyers asking the commission to enforce a “curious and peculiar interpretation” of the court of appeal’s ruling regarding what constitutes “status quo ante bellum.”

“In the said letter, the writers even went ahead to threaten the INEC chairman with arrest if he does not grant their request within seven days. They want INEC to invalidate party meetings, remove recognised officials, and hand over the affairs of the party to a specific individual, even though the case itself has not been fully decided by the courts. Obviously, what the authors of this vexatious letter are attempting to do is to pressure INEC to take sides and grant them what no court in Nigeria has granted,” Mr Abdullahi claimed.

“For the avoidance of doubt, Nafiu Bala, who is claiming to be aggrieved over the ADC leadership, was never the chairman of the ADC. And, perhaps more significantly, Nafiu Bala had earlier resigned his position alongside other members of the National Working Committee. He has also since been expelled from the party. Therefore, any attempt to recreate a “status quo” that upgrades his position to National Chairman of the ADC at any point in time is, at best, fictitious.”