The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has refused to recognise the National Working Committee of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) led by Senator David Mark, effective April 1, 2026. The decision, based on a Court of Appeal judgment, has triggered backlash from opposition parties, civil society groups and Muslim rights organisation MURIC, which has long called for the removal of INEC Chairman Professor Joash Amupitan (SAN). They accuse Amupitan of bias, citing his authorship of a 2020 legal brief that described Nigerian violence as a "coordinated anti-Christian campaign". ADC leaders, led by Mark, declared on Thursday in Abuja that they no longer have confidence in INEC or its commissioners, demanding their immediate resignation or removal.
Mark stated the party would proceed with its national convention on April 14, asserting that INEC's presence is not legally mandatory. He accused the Tinubu administration of orchestrating a political environment where the president becomes the sole 2027 election option, blaming the government for worsening poverty and insecurity. INEC, in a statement by Chief Press Secretary Adedayo Oketola, rejected all calls for the chairman's removal as unconstitutional, insisting that its actions followed Section 287(2) of the 1999 Constitution, which mandates compliance with Court of Appeal judgments. The commission said it was bound to uphold the court's directive on the ADC leadership dispute to avoid legal reversals in future elections.
Senator David Mark's outright rejection of INEC's authority marks a significant rupture between a major opposition figure and the electoral body, one that now hinges on a judicial interpretation of "status quo ante bellum". When a party leader publicly abandons faith in the system meant to oversee fair elections, the credibility of the entire 2027 process begins to rest on court rulings, not public trust. The fact that INEC is enforcing a court order does not shield it from the perception of partisanship, especially given the chairman's controversial past. For Nigerian voters, this means the battle for electoral legitimacy may be fought more in courtrooms than at polling units.
