INEC Derecognises Mark, Aregbesola as ADC Leaders – Opposition Parties Push Back

By: Abudu Olalekan

Things just got messy for the African Democratic Congress. Really messy.

The Independent National Electoral Commission dropped a bombshell on Wednesday – they’ve removed David Mark and Rauf Aregbesola from their official records. No more recognition as national chairman and national secretary. Just like that.

And predictably, all hell broke loose.

The ADC, PDP, and even former Anambra Governor Peter Obi’s camp are not having it. They’re calling this a calculated move. An attack on democracy itself. Some are even pointing fingers at the ruling APC government.

So What Exactly Happened?
INEC’s National Commissioner Mohammed Haruna explained their position in a statement. The commission says their hands are tied – there’s a court order directing them to maintain status quo while a lawsuit challenging Mark’s leadership plays out. Simple as that. Or is it?

The backstory goes like this. After the previous ADC executive resigned in July 2025, a new National Working Committee emerged with David Mark at the helm. But Nafiu Bala Gombe, who was vice-national chairman at the time, wasn’t having it. He argued that as vice chairman, leadership should automatically fall to him.

So Gombe went to court.

Now INEC says they’ve been caught in the middle of conflicting legal demands. Letters flying in from both sides. One law firm telling them not to recognise Gombe. Another demanding they enforce an appellate court judgment that supposedly backs Gombe’s position.

The commission decided to just… step back entirely.

INEC’s Position
After their March 31st meeting, the commission laid out what they’re doing:

They’re maintaining status quo as the Court of Appeal directed. Mark’s name? Removed from the portal. Aregbesola’s too. But here’s the thing – they’re also refusing to let Gombe take over.

Nobody wins. At least not yet.

INEC announced they won’t be dealing with any ADC faction until the Federal High Court makes a final decision. No meetings. No congresses. No conventions. Complete radio silence on anything ADC-related.

The Pushback Is Intense
ADC spokesman Bolaji Abdullahi fired back hard. He’s arguing that INEC got it wrong. The status quo, he insists, should mean going back to how things were before Gombe filed his lawsuit. And at that point? Mark was in charge.

“This indicates only one thing,” Abdullahi said. “We should maintain the status quo before Nafiu Gombe went to court.”

He didn’t mince words about who he thinks is behind this – calling out what he described as “enemies of democracy that this APC government represents.”

The ADC even claims there’s a plot brewing. According to them, a “particularly notorious minister” is sponsoring protests planned for Thursday in Abuja. The goal supposedly? Paid crowds posing as angry party members demanding Mark’s removal.

Whether that’s true remains to be seen. But tensions are definitely running high.

Obi’s Camp Weighs In
Yunusa Tanko, who coordinates the Obidient Movement, called the whole situation “completely absurd.”

His concern? Using a pending court case as grounds for INEC’s actions. He warned of “catastrophic effects” if the commission continues down this path.

“Nigeria ceases to be a nation if this happens,” Tanko stated. Strong words.

He also alleged government involvement, pointing to ADC’s growing mobilisation in Kano, Kaduna and other northern states as the real reason behind the move.

PDP Joins The Chorus
The PDP isn’t staying quiet either. National Publicity Secretary Ini Ememobong accused the APC government of systematically destabilising opposition parties.

“They started with the Labour Party, then they moved to the PDP, and now they are in the ADC,” he said. “Any platform that looks credible and formidable, the APC people enter and destroy it.”

He even floated the possibility of boycotting elections if interference continues. That’s how serious things have gotten.

The Other Side
Not everyone’s upset though.

Gombe’s faction is actually praising INEC. His chief of staff, Bala Sani, said the commission showed “commitment to neutrality and impartiality” by following the Court of Appeal’s ruling.

“We are telling the world that they came to hijack the party from us,” Sani said. “We built this party for more than 20 years before these people came in.”

Meanwhile, former ADC chairman Ralph Nwosu dismissed the whole thing as “fake news” when Reportersroom reached out. He didn’t elaborate much beyond that.

APC Stays Silent
As for the ruling party? Not a word. APC spokesman Felix Morka and his deputy Duro Meseko didn’t respond to calls or messages seeking their reaction to the allegations.

Their silence speaks volumes. Or maybe it doesn’t. Hard to tell these days.

One thing’s certain though – this ADC crisis isn’t going away anytime soon. The courts will have to sort it out. Until then, Nigeria’s opposition landscape remains fractured, confused, and increasingly bitter.

Democracy can be ugly sometimes.