Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, National Publicity Secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has rejected the Independent National Electoral Commission's (INEC) intervention in the party's leadership crisis, describing it as unconstitutional. He argued that INEC's role is supervisory, not administrative, and that the commission lacks the power to remove elected party officials. According to Abdullahi, political parties are voluntary associations whose internal affairs should not be dictated by external bodies. He cited the ADC's July 29, 2025, National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, which INEC monitored, as the basis for David Mark's recognition as party chairman.
Abdullahi dismissed claims by Nafiu Bala, one of six deputy national chairmen, that he did not resign from the party's leadership. He stated that a resolution dated July 25, 2025, required all executives to resign, which Bala accepted. Abdullahi challenged Bala's forgery allegations, noting no formal police report had been filed. He added that linguistic analysis of Bala's writing supports the authenticity of the resignation letter. Even if forgery were proven, the subsequent NEC meeting dissolved the old executive and installed a caretaker committee led by David Mark, with INEC present.
INEC's interpretation of the Court of Appeal's "status quo ante bellum" order directly contradicts the timeline it once acknowledged, raising questions about its consistency in handling party disputes. David Mark's position as chairman was recognised by INEC after the July 29, 2025 meeting, yet the commission now acts as if that leadership never existed. This sets a concerning precedent for how regulatory overreach could destabilise opposition parties ahead of 2027. For Nigerian voters, it signals that institutional neutrality may be selective, particularly when political pressure mounts.
