Political Tension Rises As Mahmood Yakubu Issues Stern Warning To ADC

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, has cautioned the African Democratic Congress (ADC) against proceeding with its planned congresses and national convention.

He warned that INEC would not be able to monitor such activities due to an existing court order restricting further actions by the party.

Speaking during an interview on Arise News on Friday, Amupitan explained that any step taken by the ADC while the leadership dispute remains before the court would be considered unlawful.

He further warned that if the party goes ahead with primary elections under the current circumstances, any resulting victory could later be invalidated by a court. In such a case, he noted, the candidate with the second-highest number of votes could be declared the winner, as had previously occurred in states like Zamfara and Plateau.

Amupitan gave the warning in response to plans by a faction of the ADC led by David Mark to proceed with its congresses and convention ahead of the 2027 elections, even without INEC’s oversight.

He urged the party to maintain the current status quo until the court delivers its ruling, stressing that disregarding judicial directives could have serious consequences.

According to him, INEC is committed to avoiding a repeat of past situations where court judgments rendered election outcomes invalid after they had already been conducted.

He added that while political parties are free to make their own decisions, INEC will not take any action that could interfere with a matter currently before the court.