The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will meet next week to consider the Federal High Court judgment that nullified the David Mark-led leadership of the African Democratic Congress and invalidated the process that produced former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar as the party’s 2027 presidential candidate.
The commission, however, says it will not take a position on the dispute until it obtains and examines the certified true copy of the judgment delivered in Abuja.
INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of its Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, disclosed this in an interview with Sunday PUNCH.
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Haruna said the electoral body would not base its decisions on media reports or unofficial accounts of court proceedings, insisting that it needed to examine the actual court document.
“We can’t take a position until we see the judgment ourselves. We have to get the certified true copy because we don’t take decisions or reports of what the court said based on reports because the reports could be wrong,” he said.
He confirmed that the matter would be considered when the commission meets next week.
Haruna also said INEC would comply with any further court order if the affected ADC faction appealed the ruling and secured an injunction staying its execution.
“Obviously, if the David Mark faction should appeal, which I am sure they will, and they get an injunction for stay of execution, obviously, we’ll have to obey that judgment,” he added.
The development follows Thursday’s judgment by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, in a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025.
The case was instituted by Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former ADC Deputy National Chairman (North-East), who challenged the process through which Mark and other members of the caretaker committee assumed control of the party.
Gombe argued that following the resignation of the party’s former National Chairman, Ralph Nwosu, he was constitutionally entitled to assume leadership.
He consequently asked the court to invalidate decisions taken by the Mark-led leadership and restrain Mark and former Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, from parading themselves as the party’s National Chairman and National Secretary, respectively.
In granting the suit, Justice Lifu held that the emergence of the Mark-led caretaker leadership violated the ADC constitution, relevant provisions of the Electoral Act and the 1999 Constitution.
The court nullified the process that produced the caretaker committee and the party’s presidential primary, which returned Atiku as its flag bearer for the 2027 general election.
It also invalidated Aregbesola’s emergence as National Secretary, the appointments of other national officers and the nominations of candidates submitted by the party for the 2027 elections.
The judge further directed INEC not to recognise or act on decisions taken at the ADC’s 99th National Executive Committee meeting held on July 27, 2025.
The defendants in the suit included the ADC, INEC, Mark, Aregbesola and Nwosu.
The judgment has created uncertainty around the opposition party’s preparations for the next general election, particularly the status of its presidential ticket and other candidate nominations.
The ADC has rejected the ruling and indicated that it would challenge the decision. Atiku has also said he intends to appeal and seek a stay of execution.
INEC’s next steps will depend on its examination of the certified judgment and any subsequent orders issued by the courts.
For now, the commission says it will not announce a final position based solely on media reports of the ruling.
