By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has described the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) recent removal of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) National Working Committee (NWC) members from its portal as a problem entirely of the opposition party’s own making.

Speaking on News Central on Thursday, APC spokesperson Felix Morka rejected allegations that the ruling party was behind INEC’s decision to stop recognising David Mark as ADC national chairman and former governor Rauf Aregbesola as national secretary.

“We are only concerned about our level of preparation and the effort we are making. We’re concerned about ourselves. It is the opposition that is obsessed about what the APC does,” Morka said.

He added: “Even the most recent development that everyone is talking about—INEC’s decision to derecognise the David Mark executive—was utterly self-inflicted. The APC didn’t do that. We did not orchestrate the hijack of the ADC by that executive.”

INEC removed the Mark-led NWC from its portal on Wednesday, citing a March 12 ruling by the Court of Appeal. The commission also delisted the factional chairman, Nafiu Bala Gombe. INEC stated it would no longer recognise any factional activities until the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court resolves the party’s leadership dispute.

In response, the ADC, through its national publicity secretary Bolaji Abdullahi, accused the ruling party of hijacking its leadership and pressuring INEC to sack the Mark-led NWC. “The electoral body acted under pressure from a government panicked by the opposition momentum, despite its efforts to destroy all opposition parties and foist a one-party rule on Nigeria,” the ADC alleged.

Morka dismissed the accusation, arguing that INEC withdrew recognition from Mark and Aregbesola because they disregarded the ADC’s constitution and the rule of law.

“They did that, completely ignoring the rule of law and the party’s constitution on succession. When you parachute into a party and take over without following constitutional stipulations on leadership succession, this is the consequence,” he said.

“This was manufactured by the same people now complaining and pointing fingers at the APC. We are not concerned about all that.”

The leadership crisis in the ADC—a coalition of opposition politicians positioning to challenge President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 elections—began following the resignation of Ralph Nwosu as national chairman. David Mark was subsequently ratified as chairman, a move Gombe contested, arguing that he was entitled to the position under the party’s constitution.

Gombe then approached the Federal High Court in Abuja, challenging the legality of Mark’s leadership and seeking an order to stop the NWC members from parading themselves as party leaders.

Mark’s faction appealed to the Court of Appeal on December 18, 2025, arguing that the lower court lacked jurisdiction. However, the appellate court dismissed the appeal, allowing the case to proceed at the Federal High Court.

By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has rejected mounting calls for the resignation or removal of its Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan (SAN), while also moving to clarify what it termed widespread misconceptions about its planned nationwide voter revalidation exercise.

In a statement issued late Thursday in Abuja and signed by the Chairman’s Chief Press Secretary, Adedayo Oketola, the Commission said it was aware of “recent public statements by political actors alleging partisan bias” and demanding the Chairman’s removal over the Commission’s decision to obey a recent Court of Appeal judgment.

INEC acknowledged the right of stakeholders to voice their opinions, but stressed that its operations and leadership structure are constitutionally protected.

“It is imperative to clarify that INEC is a creation of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The appointment, tenure, and removal of the Chairman and National Commissioners are strictly governed by Section 157 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended),” the statement read.

The Commission further underlined the independence of its leadership, noting that “the Chairman does not hold office at the pleasure of any political party or interest group.” It warned that “any call for removal outside the established constitutional process is not only a distraction but a direct assault on the independence of the nation’s electoral umpire.”

Explaining its compliance with the recent Court of Appeal judgment, INEC said the decision was necessary to avoid a repeat of past electoral crises. The Commission stated that it acted “to avert a situation that occurred in Zamfara State and Plateau State, where elected officials were removed by election tribunals on account of disobedience of court judgments.”

The Commission also clarified that monitoring the activities of the David Mark-led faction of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) would amount to disobedience of the court order. It added, “It was only on the 9th of September 2025 that INEC accepted and approved David Mark’s Exco, which was seven days after the matter was filed at the Federal High Court.”

Addressing allegations that it was undermining the multi-party system, INEC dismissed such claims, pointing to its recent registration and recognition of three political parties—the Democratic Leadership Alliance, the Nigeria Democratic Congress, and the National Democratic Party. This brings the total number of active political parties in the country to 22, which the Commission said demonstrates its neutrality.

Reaffirming the binding authority of appellate court rulings, INEC cited Section 287(2) of the 1999 Constitution, which “mandates every person and authority in Nigeria not only to obey the judgment of the Court of Appeal but also to enforce such judgment.”

By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has called on the National Assembly to overhaul Nigeria’s electoral litigation process by establishing a specialised constitutional court to handle election disputes.

Speaking on Wednesday in Abuja at the 70th birthday and book launch of Senator Gbenga Daniel (APC, Ogun East), Mr. Jonathan argued that a dedicated court would reduce the strain on the political system by resolving election-related cases in a single phase.

He criticised the current three-tier system for governorship disputes—moving from a tribunal to the Court of Appeal and finally to the Supreme Court—as ineffective and unnecessarily prolonged.

Recalling a landmark case from 2011, Jonathan highlighted how technicalities have historically undermined electoral justice. “I remember a particular case where someone lost an election as a governor because the law then stipulated the use of red ink to tick voters’ names,” he said.

“In an entire senatorial district, they were not provided with red pens and used available black or green pens. As a result, those votes were cancelled. The Appeal Court upheld this, even though the lower tribunal felt that a tick is a tick.”

While acknowledging that the National Assembly later amended the law to allow governorship cases to reach the Supreme Court—specifically to prevent such injustices—Jonathan noted that the amendment failed to address the length of the litigation process.

The former president urged Nigeria to draw lessons from Francophone African countries, which employ specialised constitutional courts for political matters. He proposed that if the Supreme Court must remain the final arbiter for governorship elections, the lower tribunal stage should be eliminated entirely.

“I believe the ideal thing to do, which I was considering when I was in office, was to make sure that it’s only one tribunal that listens to any litigation relating to politics. This is done, especially in the Francophone countries in Africa. They have constitutional courts. Anything about elections, only the constitutional courts take decisions,” Jonathan explained.

He also challenged the judiciary to exercise firmness in its rulings, drawing an analogy to football. “Politics is like soccer, and the judges are the referees. If the referee looks the other way, players will break legs or score with their hands,” he added.