Abuja, NIGERIA – The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has raised an alarm over what it describes as deliberate “administrative landmines” being deployed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to prevent the party from fielding candidates in the upcoming general elections.
Okay News gathered that the opposition party is accusing the electoral umpire of creating a “direct and dangerous conflict” with the Electoral Act 2026 by refusing to receive any correspondence from the party. The National Publicity Secretary of the ADC, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, stated on Monday that INEC’s current position—suspending communication pending the determination of a leadership tussle at the Federal High Court—is a calculated move to force the party into “artificial non-compliance.”
The crux of the crisis lies in the strict timelines imposed by the law. INEC has reportedly fixed May 10 as the deadline for the submission of critical electoral documents, including the mandatory 21-day notice for primary elections. By shutting its doors to the ADC now, the party argues that INEC is effectively ensuring they cannot meet these legal requirements, regardless of what the court eventually decides.
In a strongly-worded statement, the ADC pointed to INEC’s own certified records and a sworn affidavit from September 12, 2025, which showed the commission had already recognized the leadership transition that brought in Senator David Mark as National Chairman and Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola as National Secretary. The party expressed bewilderment that the commission is now reversing its stance, claiming such an intervention in a matter already before the court undermines the judicial process and threatens the ADC’s participation in the 2027 transition.
This development follows a series of high-profile defections to the ADC, including former Kaduna PDP gubernatorial candidate Isa Ashiru, as the party continues to position itself as the primary platform for a merged opposition.
