The African Democratic Congress (ADC) says actions by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) could stop it from fielding candidates in the 2027 elections, warning that the Commission’s refusal to accept its correspondence may effectively shut it out of the ballot.
The ADC says that by declining to receive its communications, the Commission is making it impossible for the party to meet key legal requirements, including notice periods and submission deadlines, ahead of the May 10 cut-off.
In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party said available records show that INEC had previously monitored, documented and recognised its leadership, making its current stance difficult to reconcile.
“We are compelled to raise serious concerns about a developing situation that appears designed to prevent the African Democratic Congress (ADC) from fielding candidates in the upcoming elections.
“It is based on documentary evidence which we are now placing before the Nigerian public, including certified INEC records, attendance logs, monitoring reports, and excerpts from the Commission’s own sworn affidavit. Taken together, these documents establish a clear and consistent record of events,” the party stated.
The ADC also said INEC was formally notified of its July 29, 2025, National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, attended in an official capacity, and later updated its records to reflect a new leadership led by Senator David Mark as National Chairman and Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola as National Secretary.
“These are not claims. They are facts contained in INEC’s own records.
“Yet, despite this clear documentary trail, INEC has now taken the position that it will no longer receive any correspondence from the ADC pending the determination of a matter before the Federal High Court. This is where the contradiction becomes dangerous.
“The Electoral Act imposes strict timelines on political parties, including the 21-day notice requirement and submission deadlines. INEC itself has fixed May 10 as the deadline for the submission of relevant documents. However, by refusing to receive communication from the ADC within this same period, the Commission is effectively preventing the party from complying with the law.
“In simple terms, INEC is effectively threatening that unless the courts deliver judgement on the ADC leadership issue by May 10, it will prevent the ADC from producing candidates,” it said.
The party warned that this leaves it with no real options, creating what it described as a path to “artificial non-compliance” that could later be used to justify excluding it from the elections.
“This places the ADC in an impossible position and creates a clear pathway to artificial non-compliance, which can then be used to justify excluding the party from fielding candidates. That is the landmine.
“We therefore call on the Commission to immediately reverse this position, resume the acceptance of all lawful correspondence from the ADC, and uphold its constitutional responsibility to ensure a level playing field for all political parties.
“We also call on Nigerians to remain vigilant and wary of what we consider dangerous machinations to subvert Nigeria’s democracy and impose a civilian dictatorship on the country,” the ADC said.
