The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has removed the leadership of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, from its official portal, declaring the current National Working Committee led by Senator David Mark non-existent. This follows INEC's review of the Court of Appeal's judgment in Appeal No. CA/ABJ/145/2026 delivered on 12th March 2026, which ordered a maintenance of the status quo ante bellum in the party's leadership dispute. The commission cited conflicting legal representations: one from Suleiman Usman SAN & Co. urging caution against recognising Hon. Nafiu Bala Gombe as Acting National Chairman, and another from Summit Law Chambers demanding enforcement of the appellate court's ruling to cease recognition of Senator David Mark and Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola. INEC stated the current committee was uploaded on 9th September 2025 after a request dated 4th September 2025, but since a suit—FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025—was filed on 2nd September 2025, it must revert to the pre-litigation state. As a result, INEC will no longer engage with any faction of the ADC or monitor internal party meetings. The names of Senator David Mark and Rauf Aregbesola have been taken down, and the commission will not recognise any leadership until the Federal High Court determines the matter.
INEC's decision to erase the ADC leadership it previously recognised exposes a pattern of reactive, legally driven moves rather than proactive institutional clarity. By reverting to a status quo from before September 2025, the commission admits it uploaded a committee it now calls illegitimate—raising questions about its initial due diligence. This undermines public confidence in INEC's consistency, especially with a national election cycle underway. For Nigerian voters, it means party structures they may support could be nullified not by members, but by bureaucratic reversals cloaked in court rulings.
