ADC Alleges Plot to Pressure INEC Chairman, Destabilise Party Leadership

By Duke Onyeoma

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has alleged a coordinated attempt to pressure the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan (SAN), and destabilize the party’s leadership under former Senate President David Mark.

In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party claimed that recent political developments, particularly the decision of former Kano State Governor Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso to join the ADC, had unsettled the ruling party and triggered renewed actions against the opposition platform.

According to the statement, top officials within the Federal Government have intensified what it described as an onslaught against the party in an effort to discourage other prominent political figures from defecting to the ADC.

The party further alleged that the situation revolves around a legal dispute that is being pushed beyond the courtroom. It cited a letter dated March 28, 2026, reportedly written by a team of Senior Advocates of Nigeria, requesting INEC to enforce what the party termed a “curious and peculiar” interpretation of a Court of Appeal ruling concerning the legal meaning of “status quo ante bellum.”

The ADC claimed that the letter contained a threat to arrest the INEC chairman if the request was not granted within seven days. It alleged that the lawyers were seeking to compel the electoral body 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.

The party also dismissed claims by Hon. Nafiu Bala Gombe, who it said had expressed grievances over the party’s leadership structure. The ADC maintained that Gombe was never the National Chairman of the party, noting that 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 party insisted that the alleged actions were driven by concerns over the ADC’s growing popularity among Nigerians.

“No amount of pressure, no manufactured confusion, and no distortion of legal processes will stop what is already in motion,” the statement read, adding that the party continued to attract new members and was positioning itself as a credible opposition force.

The ADC called on INEC to remain guided by the Constitution, resist all forms of pressure, and uphold its responsibility as an impartial electoral umpire.

It emphasised that the issue went beyond party politics, describing it as a test of Nigeria’s democratic principles and the right of citizens to freely choose alternative political leadership.