Nura Ahmad Muhammad, a lawyer, says that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) does not have the constitutional power to decide who leads the African Democratic Congress (ADC). This is because internal disputes within political parties are still matters for the courts to decide.
Speaking to Muhammad, he said that the ongoing fight for leadership in the ADC is something that happens a lot in political groups. He stressed that party constitutions usually settle these kinds of disputes, but different interpretations can lead to long legal battles.
“This kind of crisis in political parties isn’t new. “When there are disagreements, people usually turn to their constitution to settle them, but different interpretations can make this hard. That’s why these things end up in court for proper clarification,” he said.
He stressed that all sides must keep things as they are until a final decision is made, since the case is already in court.
“Now that the case is in court, everyone must keep things as they are, and no one should try to take charge until the court makes a final decision.” He went on to say, “INEC can’t choose who leads a political party; it can only follow the court’s order.”
Muhammad talked about parts of the Constitution, like Section 223(1) and Section 83(1) of the Electoral Act. He said that INEC’s job is to watch over party leadership disputes, not to get involved.
Because of the crisis, groups supporting David Mark and Nafiu Bala have both claimed leadership of the party, which has led to legal action to settle the issue.
Peter Obi, a former presidential candidate for the Labour Party and head of the ADC, had already criticized INEC’s handling of the situation, especially its choice to stop recognizing the faction led by Mark.
“Someone is pushing this,” Obi said in an interview on Arise TV, which suggests that outside forces may be affecting the commission’s actions.
Party members at the bottom are still unhappy with the way things are going.
Comrade Kabir Sani Mai Kwanuka, a member of the ADC in Kano, said that some party leaders were working with the ruling party to make the ADC weaker.
“The lizard can only get in when the wall breaks. We made the opening ourselves. He said, “If this keeps up, the party has no future.”
He also talked about how strong Nigeria’s democracy is by talking about past political changes.
“In 2007, Olusegun Obasanjo, who used to be president, tried to stay in office longer but failed. Goodluck Jonathan lost an election in 2015 while he was still in office and accepted the results. He went on to say, “No one can stop democracy in Nigeria; it is bigger than any one person.”
Attempts to get new comments from the Bala-led group were unsuccessful. But Bala had said in other media appearances that he is still the party’s legitimate leader.
ADC holds convention in the middle of a scandal
The crisis goes on as the group that supports Mark held its national convention on Tuesday, even though it is not clear if INEC will recognize it.
During the convention, the party spoke out against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Federal Government for what it called efforts to silence opposition politics.
Rauf Aregbesola, the party’s National Secretary, spoke at the convention and said that the exercise was not flawed or illegal, so there is no reason to doubt its validity.
He said that the convention was going on in front of party leaders who didn’t say anything.
He went on to say that “The approval of the various committees proposed by the outgoing NWC to support the Caretaker Committee during the transition period; the swearing-in of the Caretaker Committee; and the new executives of the party were all administered the oath of office by competent authorities at that NEC.”
Aregbesola said that the decisions made at a previous NEC meeting, which included getting rid of the old leadership, were sent to INEC, which the commission agreed to.
Chief Ralph Okey Nwosu and Alhaji Baba Abdullahi sent the report of that NEC meeting to INEC. “INEC accepted the new leadership and put the main officers on its electronic portal based on this,” he said.
Aregbesola said, “No member, I repeat, no member of the former NWC of the ADC therefore has any right or claim to any office thereafter.” He said that the removal of the former NWC was done in accordance with the law and cannot be faulted. Aregbesola said, “A dead horse cannot rise again.”
He asked why INEC wasn’t at the convention, saying it was a failure of duty and a violation of the law.
“INEC’s failure to fulfill its legal duty is hereby declared a breach of the law and an abdication of responsibility.”
He went on to say, “The decision of INEC to refuse to attend and monitor our convention is a dereliction of duty that borders on a dangerously partisan outlook aimed at unlawfully delegitimising the otherwise legitimate actions of our party.”
“There is no other valid reason for INEC to refuse to monitor our convention, unless INEC is trying to destroy the ADC and make it easy for the APC to win without any real competition.
David Mark: ADC won’t back down
David Mark, the former president of the Senate and national chairman of the ADC, said at the convention that the party will not accept any kind of autocracy.
He said, “In a democratic space that is getting smaller and smaller, the ADC will not bend, we will not cower, and we will not retreat.”
Mark said that the current problem that some people are trying to create to bring down the party is part of a bigger fight to get Nigeria’s democracy back. He called on politicians from all parties to work together to save democracy.
He said, “This generation is asking tough questions of leadership, and we are becoming a credible alternative because our vision matches their hopes.”
Peter Obi says we are going to disaster.
Mr. Peter Obi, who used to run for president as a member of the Labour Party, says that Nigeria is going to be a disaster under the current government.
Obi said that Nigeria has been near the bottom of the global terrorism index since the current government took office.
He said that the country had gone from eighth to fourth place in the terrorism ranking, which showed that security was getting worse, which he found alarming.
He said, “If this trend keeps up, Nigeria could be one of the worst-hit countries in a few years.”
Obi said that the country had borrowed more money than ever before and was on its way to disaster when he talked about the national debt and the economy.
“We owe a lot of money, and we’ve borrowed more, and we’re going to fail.” He said, “The reason I use these short numbers is to show you we are drifting,” and he added that the numbers show a country in decline.
“We have to give up things for the sake of our kids now.” He said, “If we don’t do anything, what is happening will come back to haunt us and our kids.”43
Hon. Dr. Philip “Okanga” Agbese, a transformative leader in Enone. Discover his achievements, community projects, and vision for 2027
