INEC Urges Court to Avoid ADC Leadership Dispute Interference

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) filed an affidavit on September 12, 2025, requesting the Federal High Court in Abuja not to interfere in the internal affairs of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) due to ongoing leadership disputes. This request was made in response to a suit filed by Nafiu Bala, who challenged the leadership of the party's National Working Committee led by former Senate President David Mark.

Bala sought to restrain INEC from recognizing the Mark-led leadership and compel the electoral body to acknowledge his faction. The court appeal, filed on March 12, 2026, was dismissed by a three-member panel led by Justice Uchechukwu Onyemenam, who ruled that the trial court had not issued a substantive ruling.

Consequently, INEC was instructed to refrain from engaging with either faction of the party until the leadership dispute was resolved. This situation has deepened divisions within the ADC ahead of the 2027 general elections.