The National Executive Committee Chairmen Forum of the African Democratic Congress has threatened a nationwide protest against the Independent National Electoral Commission if the commission fails to implement a Federal High Court judgment on the party’s leadership crisis.
The forum also demanded that INEC remove the names of Senator David Mark and members of his dissolved Interim National Working Committee from its portal and replace them with those of Nafiu Bala Gombe and other officials it considers the party’s legally recognised leadership.
It further called on the electoral commission to reopen its portal to allow the party conduct fresh primaries, where necessary, and upload its candidates for the 2027 general elections.
The forum’s Secretary, Kennedy Odion, made the demands while addressing journalists in Abuja on Friday, a day after Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, delivered a judgment nullifying the Mark-led interim leadership.
Odion said the judgment invalidated decisions taken by the dissolved interim National Working Committee, including the nomination of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar as the party’s presidential candidate and the emergence of other candidates through its congresses and national convention.
He described the ruling as a confirmation of the forum’s longstanding position that the Mark-led leadership was not constitutionally recognised.
“We, the only legally recognised NEC members, accept in its entirety the judgment declaring our own Alhaji Nafiu Bala Gombe the authentic national chairman of the ADC.
“Failure to comply with this latest judgment will leave us no option but to proceed with our planned nationwide protest against the electoral umpire. Nigeria is for all of us. No individual, however highly placed, is above the law,” Odion said.
He argued that the judgment also invalidated the candidacies of Atiku, his running mate, former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi, and other individuals nominated by the dissolved interim leadership.
The ADC has been embroiled in a prolonged leadership dispute between the Mark-led interim National Working Committee and a faction led by Bala Gombe, with the disagreement generating several court cases over the party’s leadership and the conduct of its congresses and national convention.
The crisis followed an earlier judgment delivered by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on April 29, 2026, in favour of the ADC state chairmen led by Don-Norman Obinna.
The court affirmed the tenure of the elected state executive committees pending the valid conduct of congresses and the convocation of a national convention. It also restrained INEC from recognising congresses organised by the interim National Working Committee.
The Court of Appeal upheld the judgment on June 13, 2026. However, Odion alleged that INEC continued to recognise the Mark-led leadership and accept candidates produced through its congresses and national convention despite the earlier court decisions.
He said the forum had taken steps to challenge the commission’s actions, while the earlier dispute remained before the Supreme Court.
According to him, the chairmen opted for legal action rather than confrontation to prevent violence among aggrieved party members and candidates.
“The maturity shown by the NEC Chairmen Forum as law-abiding members of society prevented a melee and saved the lives of agitated and disenchanted party members and candidates,” he said.
Odion also commended the judiciary for what he described as its courage in upholding justice, despite alleged attempts by the dissolved interim leadership to discredit the courts.
While expressing confidence that Bala Gombe’s leadership would restore stability to the party, he pledged the forum’s support for the new chairman and congratulated him and other ADC members, declaring that “sanity” had returned to the party.
