The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has recognised the candidates submitted by the David Mark-led leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), saying the faction has nominated candidates for 471 elective positions ahead of the 2027 general election.
INEC National Commissioner Mohammed Haruna told The PUNCH that the commission granted the Mark-led leadership access to its nomination portal after a Supreme Court judgment affirmed that leadership, and that the rival faction had no legal basis to submit candidates.
“Yes, we gave the Mark-led faction the code based on the recent Supreme Court judgment that affirmed his leadership of the party and the faction has since submitted most of its candidates for a total of 471 — presidential (2), senatorial (109) and House of Representatives (360) constituencies,” Haruna said. “The court, however, did not say we should accept any submissions by the rival faction which, in any case, had lost its appeal for recognition.”
The ADC has called for the investigation and prosecution of its factional leader, Nafiu Bala Gombe, after INEC clarified that claims Bala had uploaded the party’s candidates to the commission’s nomination portal were false.
In a Tuesday statement, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, welcomed INEC’s clarification and accused Bala of attempting to mislead Nigerians. The ADC said the alleged claim of accessing INEC’s restricted portal was a “grave matter” that should attract the attention of security agencies and urged INEC to ensure anyone involved is investigated and prosecuted.
“The African Democratic Congress (ADC) welcomes the prompt clarification by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which unequivocally confirmed that the document circulated by Mr Nafiu Bala purporting to show that he had obtained the commission’s access code and uploaded candidates on behalf of the ADC for the 2027 general election was forged, and that the claim itself was entirely false,” the party said.
The clarification followed earlier reports that Atiku Abubakar’s media office had accused INEC of granting Bala access to its portal — an allegation INEC denied.
Haruna said INEC would withhold its final position on the leadership dispute until it obtained and studied the certified true copy of a recent Court of Appeal judgment. “INEC cannot say anything until we see the judgment. We have to see the details of the judgment first. Hopefully, in the next two days, within 48 hours, the court should release the judgment. We will study it, and then the commission will take a position,” he said.
The comments came after the Court of Appeal on Monday affirmed a Federal High Court decision that had restrained INEC from recognising state congresses conducted by committees appointed by the Mark-led caretaker leadership. The appellate court, in a split two-to-one decision, upheld the trial court’s finding that the dissolution of the party’s state executives by the Mark-led leadership violated the ADC constitution.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court had on April 29 restrained INEC from giving recognition to the caretaker committees set up by the Mark-led leadership, following a suit filed by seven aggrieved state chairmen who argued their tenures had not expired and that the dissolution breached the party constitution.
The ADC, however, maintains that Monday’s appellate ruling relates only to ward, local government and state congresses and does not affect the validity of its direct primaries or the nomination of candidates. In a statement, the party said the judgment “concerned only the conduct of ward, local government and state congresses and had no bearing on the direct primaries through which its candidates emerged.”
The leadership dispute between the factions has continued to produce conflicting court rulings. INEC says its current recognition of the Mark-led leadership and the nominations submitted were based on an earlier Supreme Court judgment affirming that leadership. The commission has said it will review the latest appellate judgment once it receives the certified copy.
