The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has alleged that the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led federal government is mounting pressure on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to interfere in the party’s leadership affairs, following the defection of Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso to its ranks.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the ADC claimed that a coordinated effort is underway to compel INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan (SAN), to invalidate party actions and alter its leadership structure before courts have ruled on pending disputes.
According to Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, a letter dated March 28, 2026, written by a team of Senior Advocates of Nigeria, is being used to pressure the electoral commission. The letter reportedly seeks to enforce a particular interpretation of a Court of Appeal ruling regarding “status quo ante bellum” — a legal principle referring to the restoration of a prior state of affairs.
The ADC said the legal representatives went as far as threatening the INEC chairman with arrest should he fail to accede to their request within seven days.
“The authors of this vexatious letter are attempting to pressure INEC to take sides and grant them what no court in Nigeria has granted,” Abdullahi said in the statement.
The party dismissed claims by Hon. Nafiu Bala Gombe, whom it described as an expelled former member, asserting that he was never the party’s chairman and had previously resigned his position.
“What we are witnessing is a convergence of legal pressure and political intent by a ruling party that is unsettled by the growing appeal of the ADC,” Abdullahi added.
The ADC described itself as “the only viable opposition party left in the country” and vowed to resist what it called a “grand plan” to destabilise its leadership using all constitutional means.
Kwankwaso, a former governor of Kano State and presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in the 2023 general election, recently defected to the ADC — a move the party claims has unsettled ruling party officials.
The ADC called on INEC to remain guided by the constitution and resist pressure, stating that the matter “is bigger than the ADC” and concerns whether Nigerians can freely choose an alternative political path.