. Suit lacks legal foundation — INEC
. As ADC reschedules presidential primaries, reduces cost of nomination form
BLESSING OMALE, Abuja with Agency report
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has opposed a legal move seeking the deregistration of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), insisting that the application before the court falls short of constitutional requirements and due process.
The challenge was initiated by the National Forum of Former Legislators, whose incorporated trustees approached the court to compel INEC to strike the opposition party off the register of political parties.
However, in filings, the electoral umpire maintained that the suit is fundamentally flawed and lacks the legal foundation required to warrant such a drastic action.
INEC argued that the deregistration of political parties in Nigeria is strictly governed by extant laws and constitutional provisions, stressing that such decisions cannot be influenced by external or political pressures.
The commission reiterated that it remains bound by the framework laid out in the Constitution and the Electoral Act, which clearly define the conditions under which a political party may be deregistered.
The legal dispute comes against the backdrop of an ongoing leadership crisis within the ADC, which has further complicated the party’s internal stability and public standing.
On April 30, the Supreme Court of Nigeria directed David Mark, identified as the factional national chairman of the party, and Nafiu Bala, a former national vice-chairman, to return to the Federal High Court for the hearing and determination of issues arising from the lingering leadership tussle.
The apex court’s directive effectively shifted the battleground back to the lower court, where the substantive issues surrounding the party’s leadership structure are expected to be fully examined and resolved.
In the aftermath of the ruling, the ADC has reportedly experienced a wave of defections, further weakening its cohesion.
Among the figures said to have exited the party are Peter Obi, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, a former governor of Kano State.
Both politicians are understood to have moved to the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), a development that signals shifting political alliances ahead of future electoral contests.
Meanwhile, ADC has released a new timetable for its 2026 primary elections and reduced the cost of its nomination forms.
The party made this known in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, following meetings with party leaders, aspirants and other stakeholders.
Under the revised schedule, the sale and submission of nomination forms will take place from May 6 to May 13. Screening of aspirants is fixed for May 14, while the results of the screening will be released on May 17.
Appeals from the exercise will be handled between May 18 and May 19, and the final list of cleared aspirants will come out on May 20.
The party set May 21 for primaries into State Houses of Assembly, House of Representatives and Senate seats.
Governorship primaries will follow on May 22, while the presidential primary is billed for May 23. A National Executive Committee meeting is scheduled for May 25, and a Special National Convention will hold on May 26.
Alongside the timetable, the party also reviewed the prices of its nomination forms.
The presidential form is now pegged at ₦90 million, while the governorship form is fixed at ₦30 million. Senate aspirants are to pay ₦10 million, House of Representatives aspirants ₦5 million, and State Assembly aspirants ₦2 million.
These figures are lower than the earlier rates, where the presidential form was N100 million, governorship ₦50 million, Senate ₦20 million, and House of Representatives ₦10 million.
The party maintained its discount policy, giving 50 per cent reduction to youth aspirants between ages 18 and 35, and 25 per cent reduction to women and persons living with disabilities.
Meanwhile, former Vice‑President Atiku Abubakar has responded after reports that the electoral body dismissed a fresh bid to deregister the African Democratic Congress (ADC), days following a Supreme Court ruling.
Commenting on the development, Phrank Shaibu, Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication to Atiku, called the attempt “a desperate and failed plot conceived in the shadows of fear.”
He said the move amounted to a “poorly scripted political ambush” aimed at silencing opposition, and that INEC’s rejection exposed the application’s legal emptiness.
Shaibu warned that allowing such tactics would threaten democratic competition, arguing that targeting the ADC now could set a precedent for other parties later.
“What we are witnessing is the unraveling of a poorly scripted political ambush designed to cripple opposition voices. The fact that INEC itself has come forward to puncture the legal vacuum of this application speaks volumes. It confirms what Nigerians already suspect—that this was never about law but about intimidation.
“No democracy survives where the ruling party seeks to eliminate competition through the backdoor. Today, it is ADC. Tomorrow, it could be any platform that refuses to bow. But let it be known: Nigeria is bigger than any administration, and its democratic space cannot be shrunk to accommodate political insecurity,” he added.
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