The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has raised alarm over what it described as a coordinated plot by the presidency and the All Progressives Congress (APC), aimed at pressurising the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, SAN, to work and destabilize the party’s leadership under Senator David Mark.
The ADC emphasised that the issue is far beyond party politics, but a test of Nigeria’s democratic principles and the right of citizens to freely choose alternative political leadership.
These were contained in a statement by Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, National Publicity Secretary of the ADC in which he also said that the plot and apprehension was occasioned by recent political developments, particularly the decision of former Governor of Kano State, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso to join the ADC.
Abdullahi noted that the development jolted and unsettled the ruling party, thus triggered renewed actions against the opposition platform, stressing that top officials within the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led Federal Government have intensified their onslaught against the ADC in an effort to discourage other prominent political figures from defecting to the party.
The ADC further said that the situation is predicated on a legal dispute that is being pushed beyond the courtroom, just as it referenced a letter dated March 28, 2026, reportedly written by a team of Senior Advocates of Nigeria, requesting INEC to enforce “a curious and peculiar” interpretation of a Court of Appeal ruling concerning the legal meaning of “status quo ante bellum”.
The ADC further stated that the letter contained a threat to arrest the INEC chairman if the request was not granted within seven days.
The opposition party further said that the lawyers were seeking to compel the INEC to invalidate party meetings, remove recognised officials, and hand over control of the party’s affairs to a specific individual despite the matter still pending before the courts.
This was as the ADC pointedly dismissed claims by Hon. Nafiu Bala Gombe, whom it said had expressed grievances over the party’s leadership structure, stressing that Gombe was not the National Chairman of the party as he had earlier resigned alongside other members of the National Working Committee and was subsequently expelled.
Describing the situation as a convergence of legal pressure and political intent, the ADC stressed that the alleged actions were being driven by concerns over the ADC’s growing popularity among Nigerians.
The ADC said; “No amount of pressure, no manufactured confusion, and no distortion of legal processes will stop what is already in motion. The party has continued to attract new members and is positioning itself as a credible opposition force”.
The ADC therefore called on INEC to remain guided by the Constitution, resist all forms of pressure, and uphold its responsibility as an impartial electoral umpire.
