By Sabiu Abdullahi
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has demanded the immediate removal of Joash Amupitan, chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), accusing him of deliberately misinterpreting a court order related to the party’s leadership dispute.
Speaking at a press briefing on Thursday, David Mark, national chairman of the ADC, said the electoral body “can no longer be trusted,” describing its actions as unlawful and partisan.
Mark explained that the controversy arose after a March 12 Court of Appeal judgment directed all parties, including INEC, to maintain the status quo while the case continued in the Federal High Court.
He added that his legal team challenged the Federal High Court’s jurisdiction, but the appeal was dismissed, leaving the directive to preserve the existing ADC leadership intact.
“After the judgment, lawyers associated with Nafiu Bala sought recognition from INEC in a manner that distorts the meaning of status quo ante bellum,” Mark said, claiming that these actions were supported by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), which he accused of attempting to weaken opposition parties.
“It is not the ADC that is under attack. This is a direct assault on Nigeria’s democracy and the right of Nigerians to choose, participate, and exercise their rights as free citizens,” he added.
Mark further said, “We have witnessed how the APC-led Federal Government has undermined, compromised, and coerced other opposition political parties. The ADC has risen as the last bastion between Nigeria’s democracy and full-blown dictatorship. And this is what worries them.”
He expressed shock at INEC’s April 1 announcement withdrawing recognition for both his leadership and Bala’s faction, creating what he described as a “false equivalence” between the parties.
Mark insisted that Bala had already resigned from party leadership and could not be legally recognised as a factional leader.
“The crux of the matter is the interpretation of status quo ante bellum. There is no legal precedent that supports INEC’s conclusion,” he said, criticizing the commission for failing to seek judicial clarification and accusing it of bias.
He added that INEC has effectively left the ADC without a recognised leadership, noting that the commission “lacks the constitutional authority to determine or impose leadership on political parties.”
“At no time was the ADC without a duly constituted leadership. INEC has invented a status quo that never existed,” Mark said.
“The commission cannot decide who leads a political party. That power does not belong to INEC.”
He concluded that the electoral body’s actions amount to contempt of court and undermine the rule of law. “There is only one conclusion: the electoral umpire has taken sides. It can no longer be trusted,” Mark said.
