The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has reverted its position on the leadership crisis rocking the coalition-adopted African Democratic Congress, as it recognised the David Mark-led leadership of the party.
Earlier on Thursday, April 30, the Supreme Court affirmed Mark as the leader of the ADC, dismissing the Court of Appeal’s ruling that led to the derecognition of the former Senate president’s leadership of the party
Recall that Nafiu Bala’s faction of the party had challenged the legitimacy of the Mark-led leadership group. The outcome of the Court of Appeal led to the derecognition of Mark’s leadership by INEC, a development that sparked outrage among Nigerians.
However, the Supreme Court set aside the injunction of the Court of Appeal and ordered the parties involved to return to the trial court. Reacting to the development, INEC therefore recognised David Mark’s leadership and displayed his name as the chairman of the ADC on its website.
ADC yet to face real test, analyst
Meanwhile, Omotayo Yusuf, a political analyst, while reacting to the development in an exclusive interview with Legit.ng, maintained that the party was yet to be tested in real time until it conducts its primaries and the outcome is well managed.
His statement reads: “We have not reached the point where the party would be really tested yet. We cannot say for certain that the party’s leadership right now is going to withstand an internal crisis during the primary election.
I will tell you why. Peter Obi has vowed to be on the ballot and to contest at all costs. Atiku Abubakar, former vice president, has spoken about 2027 being his last attempt at the presidency, meaning he’s sure to run.
“Amaechi has been going around meeting party leadership and expressing confidence in the fact that he would run as a presidential aspirant under the ADC. Those are three key aspirants that we are aware of. There are other people on the sidelines. Therefore, until a candidate emerges and the process through which that candidate emerges, we would not know how well the ADC would be able to withstand an internal crisis.”
Recall that the ADC rose to prominence ahead of the 2027 general election after the coalition movement adopted the party as its political platform for the poll. The movement was started by Atiku in his bid to stop the re-election of President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 elections.
