The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced it will convene next week to assess the impact of a recent Federal High Court ruling on the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the emergence of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2027 elections.
INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, stated on Sunday that the commission would refrain from taking a position on the ADC leadership dispute until it has obtained and examined the Certified True Copy of the judgment. Haruna emphasized that the commission does not base its decisions on media reports of court proceedings, noting that such reports could be inaccurate.
“We can’t take a position until we see the judgment ourselves. We have to get the Certified True Copy because we don’t take decisions or reports of what the court said based on reports because the reports could be wrong,” Haruna said.
The legal development stems from a judgment delivered last Thursday by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja. The court nullified the caretaker committee led by former Senate President David Mark, ruling that its formation violated the ADC constitution, relevant provisions of the Electoral Act, and the 1999 Constitution. Consequently, the court invalidated all decisions taken by the committee, including the presidential primary that selected Atiku as the party’s flag bearer for 2027, the appointment of former Interior Minister Rauf Aregbesola as National Secretary, and the nomination of candidates for the general elections.
The ruling also directed INEC not to recognize or act upon decisions made at the ADC’s 99th National Executive Committee meeting, which was held on July 27, 2025. The suit was filed by Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former ADC Deputy National Chairman (North-East), who argued that he was constitutionally entitled to assume party leadership following the resignation of former National Chairman Ralph Nwosu.
Haruna indicated that INEC would comply with any further court orders should the David Mark-led faction appeal the judgment. He noted that if the faction secures an injunction staying the execution of the ruling, the commission would be obligated to obey that new order.
<small>Source: The Sun Nigeria — read the original story there.</small>
