The Independent National Electoral Commission may take a position on the African Democratic Congress leadership dispute next week. A National Commissioner, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, said the commission had not received the certified true copy of the High Court judgment as of Tuesday night. It had received the party’s appeal and its application for a stay of execution. “I’m not aware we received the CTC. We still haven’t received it,” Haruna said. He said INEC’s chairman was away on an official engagement and would return on Sunday. A commission meeting could follow on Tuesday or Thursday.
The judgment nullified the party’s National Working Committee led by Senator David Mark. ADC members have protested at the Federal High Court in Abuja. They accuse Justice Peter Lifu of delaying the release of the certified copy. A group of ADC candidates and United Friends for Atiku said the party had applied and paid for the document immediately after the judgment on 5 November. They said the document was still not released as of Tuesday morning. They have petitioned the United States embassy, the United Nations and the National Judicial Council. The protesters said they disagreed with the judgment but would pursue their grievances through lawful means.
The historical echo is the 2019 and 2023 election cycles, when party leadership disputes produced parallel candidates and legal battles. INEC’s recognition often decided which faction appeared on the ballot. The ADC dispute matters beyond the party. Atiku Abubakar is the ADC presidential candidate. A prolonged leadership fight could weaken his campaign before it begins. The winners are INEC, which gains leverage over the dispute, and any faction that secures recognition. The losers are the current National Working Committee, ADC members who want a united party, and opposition coalition builders who need a stable platform.
Winners: INEC, which decides recognition; any ADC faction that gains the commission’s nod; lawyers who profit from the litigation.
Losers: The dissolved National Working Committee; ADC members facing a divided party; Atiku’s campaign, which needs a stable structure.
Bottom Line: INEC cannot settle the ADC’s internal war. It can only decide which faction it recognises. The real test is whether the party can resolve its dispute before the ballot papers are printed.