The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has stood by its decision to disengage from both factions in the African Democratic Congress (ADC) leadership crisis, citing binding court orders. Chairperson Joash Amupitan, speaking in a Friday interview with Arise Television, stated the Court of Appeal issued clear preservative directions on 12 March 2026, dismissing an interlocutory appeal filed by David Mark's faction and instructing all parties to maintain status quo ante bellum. This, he explained, prevented INEC from recognising either Mark or Nafiu Bala as national chairman pending resolution of the substantive suit at the Federal High Court. The crisis began after Ralph Nwosu resigned as party leader, triggering a dispute over succession.
Amupitan revealed that while lawyers for Mark urged INEC to freeze recognition of Bala's faction, Bala's legal team demanded formal recognition based on existing court processes. A December 2025 motion by Bala's side, seeking to restrain Mark's group from acting as the party leadership and to bar INEC from monitoring their activities, further shaped the commission's stance. When Mark's camp later announced plans to hold congresses and primaries, INEC viewed the move as potentially violating the appellate court's directive. "If parties go ahead with congresses or conventions while such motions are pending, it may amount to foisting a fait accompli on the court," Amupitan said. He insisted the commission did not take sides, noting that judicial authorities, including the Supreme Court, support its interpretation of the status quo order.
INEC's refusal to pick a side only underscores how deeply judicial processes now dictate political outcomes — even in internal party affairs. By anchoring its inaction on a Court of Appeal order from March 2026, INEC places itself beyond reproach, but also beyond influence. For Nigerian voters, this means party instability can linger indefinitely, with no electoral body intervention while courts deliberate. David Mark's challenge to that reality failed in court, and now his faction must wait like everyone else.
