THE African Democratic Congress (ADC) has raised fresh concerns over its participation in the 2027 general elections, warning that recent actions by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) could effectively shut the party out of the electoral process.
In a statement sent to News Point Nigeria by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the party accused INEC of refusing to receive its official correspondence, a development it said has made it nearly impossible to fulfil key legal requirements ahead of crucial deadlines.
According to the ADC, INEC’s position has created a procedural bottleneck, preventing the party from meeting statutory obligations such as the 21-day notice period for activities and submission of required documents before the May 10 deadline set by the electoral body.
The party argued that the refusal to accept its communications amounts to an indirect obstruction of its constitutional right to participate in the electoral process.
“This situation implies that unless a court ruling on our leadership dispute is delivered before May 10, we may be unable to present candidates for the elections,” the statement noted.
The ADC further questioned what it described as inconsistencies in INEC’s actions, pointing out that the Commission had previously engaged with and recognised its leadership.
It cited documentary evidence, including certified INEC records, attendance logs, monitoring reports, and extracts from the Commission’s sworn affidavit, which it said clearly establish a history of formal interaction between both parties.
According to the party, INEC had been duly notified of its National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting held on July 29, 2025, which the Commission reportedly attended in an official capacity.
The ADC added that INEC subsequently updated its records to reflect a new leadership structure, naming David Mark as National Chairman and Rauf Aregbesola as National Secretary.
“These are verifiable facts contained in INEC’s own records,” the party stated, arguing that it is contradictory for the Commission to now reject all correspondence from the same leadership.
The party warned that INEC’s stance could create what it described as “artificial non-compliance,” where it would be unable to meet legal requirements through no fault of its own.
It cautioned that such a scenario could later be used as grounds to disqualify the party from fielding candidates in the 2027 elections.
“This leaves us with no viable options,” the ADC said, urging INEC to reconsider its position and resume accepting its lawful communications in line with its constitutional responsibilities.
INEC, however, has maintained that its actions are guided by the rule of law and existing court judgments.
The Commission recently withdrew recognition of the ADC leadership led by David Mark, citing compliance with a subsisting Court of Appeal ruling and its constitutional mandate to regulate political parties.
It explained that due to conflicting claims and ongoing litigation within the party, it had reverted to a status quo ante bellum position effectively maintaining the situation that existed before the leadership dispute pending final judicial determination.