The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of deliberately planting “administrative landmines” designed to prevent the party from fielding candidates in upcoming elections.
At the heart of the dispute is INEC’s stated position that it will no longer accept any correspondence from the ADC pending the resolution of a matter before the Federal High Court. The party warns this creates a direct conflict with the strict timelines imposed by the Electoral Act (2026), including the mandatory 21-day notice period and submission deadlines.
INEC has fixed May 10 as the deadline for submitting relevant documents, the ADC noted in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi.
“In simple terms, INEC is effectively threatening that unless the courts deliver judgment on the ADC leadership issue by May 10, it will prevent the ADC from producing candidates,” the statement reads.
The party points to what it describes as a contradiction in INEC’s conduct. According to the ADC, the Commission received formal notice of its July 29, 2025 National Executive Committee meeting, deployed officials to monitor it, documented the proceedings, and subsequently updated its internal records to reflect the new leadership — including Senator David Mark as National Chairman and Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola as National Secretary.
The ADC further notes that INEC’s own sworn affidavit before the Federal High Court, filed September 12, 2025 in response to one Nafiu Bala Gombe, affirms that the leadership transition had been completed and recognized.
“By intervening in a matter already before the court and issuing a pronouncement with clear legal and operational consequences, the Commission has itself undermined the very process it claims to protect,” the party stated.
The ADC has called on INEC to immediately reverse its position and resume accepting all lawful correspondence from the party, while urging Nigerians to remain vigilant against what it called “dangerous machinations to subvert Nigeria’s democracy.”
At the time of filing this report, INEC was yet to respond to the ADC Claim.