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By Tracy Moses
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has suspended recognition of all factions of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), following a protracted leadership dispute currently before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The Commission also confirmed the removal of the names of the Senator David Mark-led National Working Committee (NWC) from its official portal, in compliance with a subsisting court directive mandating all parties to maintain the status quo.
The development marks the latest twist in a deepening internal crisis within the ADC, which has its roots in a disputed leadership transition that began in mid-2025. The crisis was triggered by the resignation of the Ralph Okey Nwosu-led National Working Committee, a move that was ratified at a National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held on July 29, 2025. Following that meeting, a new leadership structure emerged, with a National Working Committee widely perceived to be aligned with former Senate President, Senator David Mark.
However, the transition was immediately contested by the party’s then Vice National Chairman, Hon. Nafiu Bala Gombe, who rejected the outcome and insisted that he neither resigned nor relinquished his position. Gombe argued that, in line with the party’s internal hierarchy and constitutional provisions, he should have automatically assumed office as Acting National Chairman upon Nwosu’s exit. The disagreement soon escalated beyond internal party mechanisms, polarising stakeholders and resulting in parallel claims to leadership.
In a bid to assert his claim, Gombe approached the Federal High Court in Abuja in September 2025, seeking orders to restrain the Mark-led leadership from parading itself as the legitimate leadership of the party, and to compel INEC to recognise him as Acting National Chairman. Despite the pendency of the suit, INEC proceeded to upload the names of the Mark-led National Working Committee to its portal on September 9, 2025, a move that further deepened the dispute and prompted a flurry of legal actions and counter-actions from both camps.
The matter subsequently reached the Court of Appeal, which, in its judgment delivered on March 12, 2026, dismissed an interlocutory appeal filed by the Mark group and ordered an accelerated hearing of the substantive suit. Importantly, the appellate court directed all parties to maintain the status quo ante bellum—effectively preserving the situation as it existed before the commencement of the legal action, pending the final determination of the case. It is this directive that has now guided INEC’s latest decision.
INEC, in a statement issued on Tuesday by its National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, said its action followed a careful review of the appellate court judgment as well as processes filed in the substantive suit.
“The Commission is guided by the directive of the Court of Appeal that all parties must maintain the status quo ante bellum and refrain from taking any action that may prejudice the determination of the substantive suit,” the statement read.
The Commission disclosed that it had received conflicting legal communications from counsels representing both Senator David Mark and Hon. Nafiu Bala Gombe, each laying claim to the legitimate leadership of the ADC.
“While one set of lawyers urged the Commission not to recognise Hon. Gombe as Acting National Chairman owing to the pendency of the suit, another subsequently requested the enforcement of the appellate court judgment, including the removal of the names of Senator David Mark and the National Secretary, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, from the Commission’s records,” INEC stated.
According to the Commission, at its meeting held on March 31, 2026, it resolved to revert to the status quo as it existed before the institution of the suit on September 2, 2025.
“As part of this resolution, the Commission will no longer receive any correspondence from any of the contending factions of the ADC, nor will it monitor or recognise any congress, convention or meeting convened by any group claiming to act on behalf of the party,” the statement added.
INEC also rejected a request by Gombe’s legal representatives to immediately recognise him as Acting National Chairman pending the outcome of the case.
“The Commission reiterates that its actions are strictly guided by the judgment of the Court of Appeal delivered on March 12, 2026, which, among others, dismissed the interlocutory appeal, granted accelerated hearing of the substantive suit, and directed parties to preserve the subject matter of the litigation,” it stated.
Reaffirming its neutrality, the electoral body cautioned political actors against actions that could disrupt the electoral process, particularly as preparations gradually build towards the 2027 general election.
“Political parties and their leaders must refrain from actions capable of undermining the Commission’s processes or disrupting the electoral timetable,” INEC said, stressing that its intervention was aimed at safeguarding due process and the integrity of the electoral system.