By Ebuka Onyekwelu, Ph.D
Leaders of an emerging major opposition political party in Nigeria, the African Democratic Congress – ADC, have led a protest against the country’s electoral umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC. The protest held on Wednesday at the Commission’s headquarters in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, was engineered by what the protesters called the electoral umpire’s partisan interest in the 2027 General Election.
INEC had delisted the ADC, pointing to a leadership impasse in the party, in which two factions are laying claims to the leadership of the party. The electoral umpire, in an extraordinary decision, resolved to de-recognize the ADC in its entirety rather than recognize any faction, citing a case in Nigeria’s Northern state of Zamfara, where, after the general election, the runner-up was awarded the victory in court due to a leadership crisis of the party that won at the ballot. According to the Chairman of the INEC, Professor Joash Amupitan, the electoral umpire has seen that the leadership crisis in ADC is an “early warning” for the Commission. However, the leaders of ADC previously recognized have accused INEC of partisanship and playing the book of the ruling party, All Progressive Congress, APC; an accusation the electoral umpire has denied and dismissed.
The protest tagged “occupy INEC” was led by ADC leaders; Senator David Mark, former Nigeria’s Senate President, Atiku Abubakar, former Nigeria’s Vice President, Peter Obi, former governor of Anambra State, Rotimi Amaechi, former governor of Rivers State, Rabiu Kwankwaso, former governor of Kano, Rauf Aregbesola, former governor of Osun State, Aminu Tambuwal, former Speaker of Nigeria’s House of Representatives and former Governor of Sokoto State, among other opposition figures. Some inscriptions on the displayed placards and banners read, “Amupitan must go,” “Judges must give justice,” etc.
In 2022, former Presidential aspirant of the ADC, Professor Kingsley Moghalu, accused the leadership of ADC of supervising “a cash and carry” primary process that led to the emergence of Dumebi Kachukwu as its presidential candidate. On Tuesday, another faction of the ADC loyal to Kachukwu issued a press release backing the decision of INEC to delist the ADC. This has brought the factions in ADC to at least three.
As it stands, the ADC is likely not to be a part of Nigeria’s General Election next year, if they miss crucial deadlines, as the build-up to the election intensifies.
