INEC Chair Acting in Contempt of Court – ADC

Eshioromeh Sebastian

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, of acting in contempt of court over his comments on the party’s planned congresses and national convention.

In a press statement issued on Friday, the ADC fired back at Amupitan following an interview he granted on ARISE NEWS earlier that morning. During the interview, the INEC Chairman warned that proceeding with the party’s congresses and convention could violate existing court orders.

But the ADC rejected the claim, describing Amupitan’s position as a “wilful distortion” of the Court of Appeal’s directive to maintain the status quo.

“The preservation order, by its nature, is intended to prevent actions that would irreversibly alter the subject matter of litigation, not to paralyze the internal functioning of a political party,” the party said in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi.

The ADC accused INEC of overstepping its supervisory role and attempting to halt lawful processes. It insisted that internal disputes do not suspend democratic functions and reaffirmed its decision to proceed with its activities in full compliance with the law.

“The Chairman’s attempt to define the ‘status quo’ by tracing the controversy to internal party developments in July 2025 is an administrative interpretation that INEC is not empowered to make,” the statement added. “That determination lies strictly within the jurisdiction of the courts, not the Commission.”

The ADC further argued that no explicit court order prohibits the party from holding congresses or a convention, and that INEC’s warning amounted to speculation.

“Pre-emptively warning of hypothetical judicial consequences, as the Chairman has done, amounts to speculation and cannot serve as a legal basis to restrict lawful party activities,” the party stated.

The ADC concluded that its right to organize congresses and hold its national convention is constitutionally guaranteed and has not been lawfully suspended by any court. It urged INEC to confine itself strictly to its constitutional and statutory mandate.

“The ADC will therefore proceed with its activities in full compliance with the law,” the statement read.