BREAKING: If ADC Disagrees With The Decision Of The Court Of Appeal,they Should Go To The Supreme Court-Basiru

Rival factions within the African Democratic Congress (ADC) have escalated their leadership dispute to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), as the group led by Nafiu Bala moves to assert control over the party.

Sunday PUNCH reports that Bala formally wrote to INEC, requesting the removal of former Senate President David Mark and former Minister Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola from their positions as Chairman and Secretary of the ADC, respectively. This follows the dismissal of Mark’s appeal against a ruling by Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja, in a case initiated by Bala challenging the party’s national leadership.

Bala, a former Deputy National Chairman of the ADC, has continued to contest the current leadership structure, arguing that he should have assumed the role of national chairman after the resignation of former party leader Ralph Nwosu.

Meanwhile, ADC spokesperson Abdullahi alleged that elements within the Presidency and the All Progressives Congress (APC) were pressuring INEC to deregister members of the Mark-led National Working Committee. According to Abdullahi, the purported aim was to transfer control of the ADC to President Bola Tinubu and weaken the party so it could not field a presidential candidate, thereby reducing opposition ahead of the 2027 election. He claimed that attempts had been made to influence INEC commissioners and that the plan included confining opposition leaders within the party before strategically announcing deregistration. Abdullahi also expressed concerns about potential judicial involvement in the alleged scheme and suggested Tinubu sought to avoid contesting credible opponents such as ubakar”,“Nigerian politician”], Peter Obi, and Rotimi Amaechi.

The APC, however, rejected these claims. Its National Secretary, Ajibola Basiru, described the allegations as baseless, accusing the ADC of deflecting from its internal leadership issues instead of resolving them. Basiru stressed that neither the APC nor the Presidency is involved in the ongoing litigation and urged the ADC to comply with the existing court order, even if it plans to appeal.

“Even if they disagree with the decision of the Court of Appeal, they should go to the Supreme Court. But until it is set aside, the order of the Court of Appeal that the status quo ante bellum should be maintained subsists,” Basiru said. He added that attempting to pressure INEC or claim external interference shows “irresponsibility, lack of understanding of how the legal process works, and the propensity to make wild allegations without any facts.”

Basiru reiterated that the APC and the Presidency are focused on national matters and have no interest in intervening in ADC’s internal crisis. He emphasized that both the ADC and INEC must respect the rule of law and existing court orders, warning that accusations of undue influence on the electoral body are misleading and inappropriate given the legal framework already in place.