The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced plans to meet next week to deliberate on the Federal High Court judgment nullifying the leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the process that produced former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections.
The commission said it would not take any position on the matter until it obtains and reviews the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the judgment delivered by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of its Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, disclosed this in an interview with Sunday PUNCH.
“We can’t take a position until we see the judgment ourselves. We have to get the certified true copy because we don’t take decisions or reports of what the court said based on reports because the reports could be wrong,” Haruna said.
He added that the commission would consider the matter at its next meeting scheduled for the coming week.
“Well, this one is very straightforward even then, we are all here till next week when the commission meets. We will have to meet over it,” he stated.
Haruna also explained that INEC would comply with any subsequent court order if the ADC faction led by former Senate President David Mark appeals the judgment and secures an injunction suspending its execution.
“Obviously, if the David Mark faction should appeal, which I am sure they will, and they get an injunction for stay of execution, obviously, we’ll have to obey that judgment,” he added.
The development follows Thursday’s ruling by Justice Lifu, who nullified the David Mark-led caretaker leadership of the ADC, declaring that the process through which the committee emerged violated the party’s constitution, relevant provisions of the Electoral Act and the 1999 Constitution.
The judgment followed a suit filed by Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former ADC Deputy National Chairman for the North-East, who challenged the emergence of the Mark-led leadership.
Gombe argued that he was constitutionally entitled to assume the party’s leadership following the resignation of its former National Chairman, Ralph Nwosu.
In his ruling, the judge invalidated decisions taken under the disputed caretaker committee, including the party’s presidential primary that produced Atiku as its candidate for the 2027 election.
The court also nullified the emergence of Rauf Aregbesola as the party’s National Secretary, the appointments of other national officers and the nominations of candidates presented by the party for the forthcoming elections.
Additionally, the court directed INEC not to recognise or act on decisions reached at the ADC’s 99th National Executive Committee meeting held on July 27, 2025.
The ruling has raised questions about the status of the ADC’s leadership and its preparations for the 2027 general elections, with the commission expected to determine its next steps after reviewing the certified judgment.
