The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will next week determine its position on the leadership crisis rocking the African Democratic Congress (ADC), following a Federal High Court judgment that has thrown the party’s 2027 presidential ticket, won by former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, into uncertainty.
The commission said its decision would depend on the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the judgment which nullified the David Mark-led caretaker committee and invalidated decisions taken under its leadership, including the process that produced Atiku as the ADC presidential candidate.
INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of its Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, disclosed this on Sunday, stressing that the commission would not rely on media accounts to interpret the court’s ruling or determine its next course of action.
He said the commission must first obtain and examine the certified judgment before taking any position on the disputed party leadership and the validity of decisions taken by the affected faction.
According to Haruna, the matter would be considered at INEC’s scheduled meeting next week, where the commission would examine the legal implications of the ruling.
He added that INEC would also comply with any subsequent court directive arising from an appeal by the Mark-led faction.
The judgment has introduced a fresh legal complication for the ADC as political activities ahead of the 2027 general elections gather momentum, particularly over the legitimacy of the party’s leadership and the presidential primary conducted under the nullified caretaker committee.
For Atiku, whose emergence as the party’s presidential candidate was among the decisions affected by the ruling, INEC’s forthcoming deliberation could prove significant to the status of his 2027 ambition under the ADC platform.
