morganable politics/Elections
The INEC commissioner also indicated that the commission would comply with any subsequent court order that might arise if the Mark-led faction challenged the judgment.
Kano —
The Independent National Electoral Commission has said it will determine its position on the 2027 presidential ticket of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar under the African Democratic Congress after obtaining and examining the certified true copy of the Federal High Court judgment that invalidated the party’s leadership structure.
The commission said it would not rely on media reports or interpretations of the judgment to make a decision on the leadership crisis rocking the opposition party, stressing that it must first study the court’s pronouncements before determining its next line of action.
The development followed Thursday’s judgment of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which nullified the caretaker committee led by former Senate President David Mark and invalidated decisions taken under its leadership.
The ruling also affected the emergence of Atiku as the ADC’s presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections, raising fresh uncertainty over his political ambition and the party’s preparations for the forthcoming polls.
Speaking to Punch Newspaper,the INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, said the commission would obtain the certified true copy of the judgment before taking any position on the matter.
He explained that relying on media accounts of court proceedings could lead to an inaccurate interpretation of the judgment, noting that the commission was required to work with the court’s actual pronouncements.
“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,” he said.
Haruna added that the commission would deliberate on the matter at its next meeting scheduled for next 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.
The INEC commissioner also indicated that the commission would comply with any subsequent court order that might arise if the Mark-led faction challenged the judgment.
According to him, the commission would be guided by any valid order issued by a court, including an injunction staying the execution of the judgment.
“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,” Haruna added.
The commission’s position suggests that the status of the ADC’s leadership and the validity of decisions taken under the Mark-led committee remain subject to further legal clarification and possible appeals.
Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Thursday nullified the leadership of the caretaker committee led by Mark, ruling that its emergence violated the ADC constitution, relevant provisions of the Electoral Act and the 1999 Constitution.
The judgment followed a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025, instituted by a former ADC Deputy National Chairman (North-East), Nafiu Bala Gombe, who challenged the process through which Mark and other members of the caretaker committee assumed control of the party.
Gombe had approached the court, arguing that he was constitutionally entitled to assume the leadership of the ADC following the resignation of the party’s former National Chairman, Ralph Nwosu.
He maintained that the party’s leadership transition should have followed the provisions of its constitution rather than the process that produced the Mark-led caretaker committee.
The former deputy national chairman consequently asked the court to invalidate decisions taken by the committee and restrain Mark and the former Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, from parading themselves as the party’s National Chairman and National Secretary, respectively.
In his ruling, Justice Lifu upheld the suit, nullifying the process through which the caretaker committee emerged and subsequently assumed control of the party’s affairs.
The court also invalidated the ADC presidential primary that produced Atiku as its flag bearer for the 2027 general elections.
The development represents a major setback for the former vice-president, who had aligned with the ADC as part of efforts to strengthen opposition forces ahead of the next general elections.
Atiku, who was the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2023 general elections, had been positioning himself for another attempt at the presidency in 2027 under the opposition platform.
However, the latest ruling has thrown the party’s presidential nomination process into uncertainty, with the validity of the primary election now affected by the court’s decision.
Beyond the presidential ticket, the judgment also nullified Aregbesola’s emergence as the ADC National Secretary, the appointments of other national officers and the nominations of candidates presented by the party for the 2027 general elections.
Justice Lifu further ordered INEC not to recognise or act on decisions taken at the ADC’s 99th National Executive Committee meeting held on July 27, 2025.
The order is particularly significant because the meeting formed part of the process through which the Mark-led leadership consolidated its control of the party and made key decisions ahead of the 2027 elections.
By directing the electoral commission not to recognise decisions taken at the meeting, the court placed the party’s leadership arrangements and activities under renewed legal scrutiny.
The suit listed the ADC, INEC, Mark, Aregbesola and Nwosu as defendants.
The judgment has further complicated the political calculations of opposition parties seeking to build a common platform capable of challenging the ruling All Progressives Congress in 2027.
The ADC had emerged as a major destination for opposition figures seeking an alternative political platform ahead of the elections, with Atiku among prominent politicians associated with the party’s realignment efforts.
The latest development, however, raises questions about the party’s ability to resolve its internal leadership dispute and maintain its preparations for the elections within the timelines stipulated by the electoral law.
For INEC, the immediate task is to establish the precise implications of the judgment and determine how its directives affect the commission’s dealings with the ADC.
Haruna’s comments indicate that the commission will await the certified true copy and consider the matter collectively before making an official decision.
With the possibility of an appeal by the Mark-led faction, the dispute could extend beyond Thursday’s ruling, leaving the future of Atiku’s presidential ticket dependent on further judicial proceedings and the electoral commission’s eventual position.
Until then, the ADC’s leadership crisis and the legal status of decisions taken under the Mark-led committee remain unresolved.
