The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has stated that it will only recognise candidates submitted by the leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) headed by former Senate President David Mark for the 2027 general election.
Speaking with The PUNCH, INEC National Commissioner Mohammed Haruna disclosed that the electoral body granted the Mark-led National Executive Committee access to its secure nomination portal after a Supreme Court ruling affirmed its leadership of the party. According to him, the recognised leadership has already uploaded candidates for 471 elective positions, comprising two presidential tickets, 109 Senate seats and 360 House of Representatives constituencies.
Haruna explained that the rival faction was not issued access because it had no legal backing following the court’s decision. He maintained that the Supreme Court did not instruct the commission to recognise or accept nominations from the opposing camp, whose bid for recognition had already failed.
Meanwhile, the ADC has demanded the investigation and prosecution of its factional leader, Nafiu Bala Gombe, after INEC dismissed claims that he gained access to the commission’s nomination portal and uploaded candidates for the party.
In a statement issued on Tuesday by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC welcomed INEC’s clarification that only the David Mark-led leadership was authorised to use the restricted portal. The party insisted that Bala’s claim was fabricated and described the document circulated to support the allegation as fake.
According to the ADC, the controversy has moved beyond internal party disagreements and now involves an alleged attempt to mislead the Nigerian public. The party argued that falsely claiming access to INEC’s restricted nomination system is a serious matter that should attract criminal investigation.
The statement urged INEC and relevant security agencies to identify everyone involved in creating or spreading the alleged false information and ensure they are prosecuted in line with the law. The party stressed that only duly recognised officials have the authority to access the commission’s nomination platform, making any contrary claim a serious offence.
The clarification from INEC came after the media office of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar alleged that the commission had granted Bala access to the nomination portal. However, the electoral body firmly denied the allegation.
Haruna also reacted to Monday’s Court of Appeal judgment concerning the ADC leadership crisis, stating that INEC would not immediately comment on the decision until it obtained and reviewed the Certified True Copy of the judgment. He explained that the commission would carefully study the court’s ruling before deciding on any further action.
The Court of Appeal, in a split judgment of two justices against one, upheld an earlier ruling of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which restrained INEC from recognising state congresses conducted by caretaker committees established by the David Mark-led leadership.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court had earlier ruled that dissolving the ADC’s state executive committees before the expiration of their tenure violated the party’s constitution. She held that the authority to organise state congresses remained with the elected state executives, noting that their tenure had previously been extended by four years through a mediation agreement.
The lawsuit was filed by seven aggrieved ADC state chairmen who challenged their removal and the appointment of caretaker committees, arguing that the action unlawfully stripped them of their constitutional responsibilities.
Following the judgment, David Mark, National Secretary Rauf Aregbesola, Bolaji Abdullahi and the ADC leadership appealed the decision, arguing that the dispute was an internal party matter beyond the jurisdiction of the court. Despite the Court of Appeal’s ruling on the state congress issue, INEC maintained that its recognition of the David Mark-led leadership and the acceptance of the party’s nominations remain based on the earlier Supreme Court judgment affirming that leadership.
