The African Democratic Congress has called for the immediate removal of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Professor Amupitan Joash, accusing the commission of colluding with the ruling All Progressives Congress to engineer a one-party state ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The party’s National Chairman, David Mark, made the demand on Thursday during a press conference at the Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja. He alleged that INEC’s recent decision to delist key ADC leaders was a calculated move to weaken opposition parties and leave President Bola Tinubu as the only viable choice for Nigerians, despite widespread hardship and escalating insecurity across the country.
“The agenda is very clear: to create a situation where, in 2027, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu emerges as the only option left for the people, despite the widespread suffering and wanton killings going on across the country,” Mark stated.
The crisis stems from a leadership dispute within the ADC. INEC had announced on Wednesday that it was delisting Mark, National Secretary Rauf Aregbesola, and other officials, citing a court order that directed the commission to maintain the status quo pending the determination of a case before a trial court.
However, Mark insisted that INEC deliberately misinterpreted the Court of Appeal’s directive. He argued that the commission bypassed the proper legal channel of seeking judicial interpretation and instead acted in a manner that leaves the ADC without recognised leadership.
“What INEC has done is to create a situation that, by its own curious logic, leaves the ADC without leadership. This certainly cannot be the status quo that the Court of Appeal directed should be preserved,” Mark said.
The ADC chairman also questioned the motive behind the commission’s actions, given the overwhelming dominance of the APC in the National Assembly and among state governors.
“Right now, I speak to Nigerians at home and in the diaspora. I also speak directly to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu: with 90% of the National Assembly and over 30 of Nigeria’s 36 governors in the APC, President Tinubu, what are you afraid of?” he queried.
Mark further warned that INEC’s decision has already undermined the ADC’s participation in the upcoming Osun and Ekiti governorship elections later this year, as well as its scheduled congresses beginning April 9 and its convention on April 14.
“We demand the immediate resignation or sack of the INEC Chairman, Professor Amupitan, and all the National Commissioners. We no longer have confidence in them. We are convinced that they are incapable of conducting any credible election,” Mark added.
He insisted that the ADC would proceed with its party activities regardless of INEC’s stance, maintaining that there is no legal provision that makes the commission’s presence compulsory for the party’s internal processes.
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