INEC Awaits Certified Court Judgment Before Deciding on ADC Leadership

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said it will not take any action concerning the leadership crisis in the African Democratic Congress (ADC) until it obtains and examines the certified true copy of the Federal High Court judgment on the matter.

INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of its Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, disclosed this on Wednesday.

Haruna explained that the commission needed to study the court’s decision and obtain legal advice before determining the appropriate steps to take.

On November 5, the Federal High Court in Abuja, presided over by Justice Peter Lifu, nullified the emergence of the Senator David Mark-led ADC leadership and invalidated decisions taken by the faction.

The ruling also affected the process that produced former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections.

The judgment followed a suit filed by Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former Deputy National Chairman of the ADC, who challenged the emergence of the Mark-led leadership.

However, the party has rejected the ruling and appealed the decision. It has also applied for a stay of execution, asking INEC to refrain from taking any action that could disrupt its activities while the appeal remains pending.

Explaining the commission’s position, Haruna said INEC had begun efforts to obtain the certified judgment but could not dictate how quickly the court would release the document.

He noted that the commission’s legal department routinely approaches court registries to obtain official copies of judgments affecting electoral matters, although the process depends on the court’s procedures.

Haruna said obtaining a certified true copy of a judgment typically takes about a week.

He added that once the document becomes available, INEC’s litigation department will review its contents and provide legal guidance to a committee chaired by a national commissioner.

The committee will then submit its recommendations to the commission, which will make the final decision on the matter.

According to him, the commission operates through this committee-based process to ensure that decisions on legal disputes are properly examined before action is taken.

Haruna stressed that INEC could not determine its position on the ADC leadership dispute without first reviewing the official court document.

He maintained that the commission would have to wait for the certified judgment before deciding on its next course of action.