By Emeka Omeihe

Is the African Democratic Congress (ADC) going the way of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)? That is the searing question thrown up by last Wednesday’s delisting of the names of national officers of the party from the portal of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)

The poser is further reinforced by the timetable set by INEC for the conclusion of the primaries and congresses of political parties intending to field candidates for the 2027 general elections. Going by that schedule of political activities, party primaries including resolution of disputes arising from them will commence on April 23rd 2026 and end on May 30th, 2026.

Presidential and national assembly election campaigns will commence on August 19, 2026 while the Governorship and State House of Assembly campaigns will kick off on September, 9, 2026.

Thus, political parties would have to conclude their ward, local government, state congresses as well as their national conventions before May 30 to field candidates for the 2027 elections.

That was the scenario that came into quick focus when INEC announced the removal from its portal of the names of David Mark and Rauf Aregbesola, national Chairman and national Secretary of ADC respectively as well as other members of its National Working Committee (NWC)  

INEC further announced it will not monitor any meeting, congress or convention of the party even as it seized all further communications with the party until the suit standing at the Federal High Court, Abuja is resolved. The electoral umpire cited the ruling of the Court of Appeal in a case instituted by David Mark which asked that the status quo ante bellum be maintained. It predicated its decision on the grounds of ensuring that it does not act in any way capable of foisting a fait accompli on the court or otherwise rendering nugatory the proceedings before the trial court.

INEC said it took the decision based on letters received from the law firm of Suleiman Usman and Co. and another from Summit Law Chambers making contradictory claims. The first letter notified it of the pending proceedings before the Federal High Court with a caution against any purported recognition of Mr. Nafiu Bala Gombe as the acting national chairman of ADC.

The second letter “demanded the enforcement of the orders made by the Court of Appeal, Abuja division in appeal “no: ca/AB/145/2026 Senator David Mark V Hon. Nafieu Bala Gombe and 4 ors” After reviewing the claims and counter claims in the two letters vi-a-vis the ruling of the Court of Appeal, INEC came to the conclusion that delisting the national leadership of the ADC from its portal was the necessary route to preserving the status quo ante bellum.

Apparently conscious of the overall consequences of its action on ADC’s compliance with the timelines for the congresses and national convention, INEC promised to ensure that the originating summons is heard and determined expeditiously as ordered by the Court of Appeal.

Until then, the ADC may not be able to hold either its congresses or national convention. It may also be constrained by the decision in following up other activities lined up in the INEC timetable for the 2027 elections. This is more so, given that the timeline released by the ADC in March, slated polling unit and ward congresses for April 7, just six days before the INEC decision. Similarly, its Local Government and State congresses billed for April 9 and 11 respectively as well as the national convention that comes up on April 14, have been put into serious jeopardy by INEC decision.

 How long it takes the Federal High Court to determine the issues before it, is a matter of guess work. Given that Friday April 3rd, and Monday April 6th have been declared public holidays by the federal government to mark the Easter celebrations, the polling unit and ward congresses of the party are already encumbered unless the ADC decides to go ahead with them.

In the same vein, the party’s local government and state congresses as well as the national convention coming up on April 14 are under serious threats unless the Federal High Court expeditiously determines issues to the dispute within one week. The possibility of such quick adjudication remains to be seen. But nothing is impossible even as the records of our judicial proceedings do not given hope of immediate reprieve.

Not unexpectedly, ADC picked holes with INEC’s decision. At the centre of the dispute is the electoral umpire’s interpretation of what constitutes the status quo ante bellum in the instant case. INEC argued that its decision to derecognise the NWC of ADC was predicated on the fact that Nafieu Bala Gombe instituted his case at the Federal High Court seven days before it uploaded the Mark-led ADC NWC in its portal.

It seemed to have reasoned that the upload of the names after a case had been filed, was the basis of the legitimacy of the ADC NWC and has to be expunged to maintain the status quo ante bellum. But the ADC leadership reasoned to the contrary. 

The party clarified that the process that led to the emergence of its NWC was the convening of its NEC meeting on July 29, 2025 which INEC officials duly monitored. One of the conclusions of that NEC meeting was the dissolution of the NWC of the party and the ratification of a caretaker committee with David Mark, Rauf Aregbesola as national chairman and national secretary respectively together with others who have been serving as its officers.

The party said in addition to witnessing the processes that led to the emergence of its new leadership, a formal report on the resolutions was communicated to INEC following which it uploaded the names of the NWC members on its portal on September 9, 2025. It further stated that its record showed Gombe resigned from his position on May 17, 2025 and his resignation was duly transmitted to INEC on August 12, 2025

ADC’s argument is that before Gombe went to court on September 2, 2025, INEC was fully aware of who the members of the NWC of the party are  in view of the July 29, inauguration of its leadership and the resignation of Gombe. By further extrapolation, the electoral umpire should not have any doubt regarding its interpretation of what should constitute the status quo ante bellum.

If the sequence of events outlined by the party is correct, it would seem INEC’s did not get right its interpretation of the order of the Court of Appeal. It is not of public knowledge that there is a court order barring the ADC NWC members from functioning in their respective capacities. What the Court of Appeal ordered was for the status quo ante bellum to be maintained.

Before that order, there was an existing leadership of the party which the mere filing of a suit by a disputant cannot invalidate. That INEC uploaded the names of the NWC members seven days after the case was filed does not vitiate the facts of the resolutions of the July 29, inauguration of the party leadership which it was officially in the know. INEC should have erred on the side of caution by allowing that leadership to remain until the High court gives its ruling.

It loses nothing if the High Court eventually gives its decision one way or the other. The tense national environment and allegations of bias including an attempt to foist a one party state ahead of the 2027 are all consequences of that singular act. 

It sent wrong signals because it failed to take into account, the political temperament of the country. Besides, the situation re-enacts the same foreboding trajectory that left the PDP (the once leading opposition party) a ghost of its former self. The prospect of that scenario is very frightening.