Headline

Pendulum: South Africa in this Season of Total Madness

Published

7 years ago

September 7, 2019

Eric

By Dele Momodu

Fellow Nigerians, let me confess that I was a big fan of South Africa until lately. I have travelled to South Africa countless times in the last 15 years for business and pleasure. Sometimes I have routed my journey through that country only to seek to experience the air of freedom brought about by what I believed was the death of apartheid. I suspect that I was also trying to make up for those terrible years of apartheid when we thought we will never travel in that direction in our lifetime. As it turned out, Nigeria was a major clamourer for the end of the oppression of the Blacks in South Africa, and remained in the vanguard of the war against apartheid until the collapse of the evil regime and system. Not only did Nigeria support the country, it offered solace, succour and shelter for Black South Africans many of whom had fled to Nigeria to escape the tribulations, trauma and sometimes torture that they would otherwise be exposed to. Not only were these our South African brothers and sisters welcomed with open hands and were well catered for, we treated them like royalty and afforded them opportunities that were not even available to ordinary Nigerians. We educated and trained them. We effectively armed them in every sense of the word for the struggle that they would be plunged into both during the battles to end apartheid but also thereafter during the turbulent periods of nation-building. In fact, Nigeria and Nigerians wept louder than the bereaved. Nelson and Winnie Mandela were our biggest heroes and we shared in their pain and anguish.

The release of Mandela from prison was celebrated all over the world and Nigeria in particular. His first visit to Nigeria shortly afterwards was carnival-like. Without sounding blasphemous, everyone wanted to touch his body, as if doing so would heal all wounds and proffer salvation to sinners. We wondered then, and till today, how a man who spent 27 years in prison would still have the capacity not just to forgive but also to forget and thereafter move on with his life and national leadership. Other mortals in his shoes would have pursued their enemies to the pit of hell. Not Mandela. He kept his dignified poise all the way and held out olive branches for those who had manacled his manhood and spirit. He demonstrated the truism that you can shackle the body, but the mind and spirit will always be free to roam as the individual directs.

I remember when news broke that Nelson had decided to separate from his wife, Winnie, whom we all saw and accepted as the symbol of the struggle. We were stunned and dumbfounded. We were thrown into mourning instantly. But because this was Mandela, we forgave him. Even when he imported his new wife from Mozambique (some women are lucky, her last husband was also a President, Samora Machel), his fanatical fans forgave him again. Even in death, it is apparent that the Man can do no wrong. He is the reference point for visionary leadership and consummate statesmanship. He displayed abilities and capacities so uncommon in most world leaders. He was simply an icon, a colossus that is nonpareil, one of a kind. I guess Mandela is so big that African leaders don’t even try to emulate him. He is just so much bigger than them as for example his decision not to be a sit-tight leader notwithstanding that his countrymen and the world at large craved for more of his unique and distinctive style of government.

With the liberation from apartheid, Nigerians felt a sense of entitlement in South Africa and wasted no time in invading the place, in droves, like locusts. Every new immigrant became enchanted with the country and immediately sent word home inviting family and friends to come and experience Eldorado. I must also say this for the records. I used to wonder why the white settlers did not want to hand over to the real owners and original inhabitants of the land? Why would anyone travel from distant places and decide to take over one the juiciest landscapes in the entire world? Who gave them the right? I discovered the simple answer as soon as I first encountered Johannesburg. Wow, I exclaimed, I thought I was in paradise. In reality, I realised that no one would build such monumental infrastructure and allow it to fall into wrong hands. Apart from anything, they would also want to enjoy the beauty and comfort for eternity.

I fell headlong in love with South Africa exactly 15 years ago during the 70th birthday celebrations of The Esama of Benin, Chief Gabriel Osawaru Igbinedion, who incidentally is celebrating his 85th birthday at this very moment. One of the events took place in South Africa where he and his children have had extensive interests for years. I stayed long enough to undertake a tour of some parts of the country. We saw beautiful ranches and some incredible estates. Trust us Nigerians, we know the good life and we love the great life. Nigerians were doing great in the country. Visas were not so difficult to obtain, though we were naturally disappointed and even angry that Nigerians queued for visa while Europeans strolled in and out at will. We still face the same segregation to this day.

I would later further get hooked on South African Airways with its sumptuous meals and fantastic wines. There were times I flew to London and back via South Africa, not minding the 16 hours that I would have to endure on each leg. My affection for South Africa started waning after a sad experience I had at the Michelangelo in Sandton one miserable evening. The duo of KC Presh had come to visit me at the hotel. Two of their friends later arrived and requested from the reception for access to my floor which was declined pronto. I went down personally to sort it out with the manager. To my utter consternation, whites were going in and out freely while the blacks were sentenced and banished from entering after 6pm. I was nonplussed. I reflected again on whether I had been dreaming that apartheid had ended years earlier and that this was a country run by Black people for the masses of the people who are majorly Black. It did not seem that this was the case, as the debacle presented us a classic case of segregation, except that it was being sanctioned by Black people against their Black folk. Unbelievable!

That was my first baptism of fire. I was so angry and disillusioned that I checked out the following day and never returned to that hotel. This woke me up to the sordid reality of things in post-apartheid South Africa. The Independence of South Africa was clearly far from being total. It was a mirage. I travelled to Cape Town, Durban, and Joburg many times and began to see the ugliness I never observed before. I saw squalor and opulence side by side, between Alexandria and Sandton. Cases of violence quadrupled. Nigerians were targets because they knew we love to carry cash and enjoy the good life. We were envied because of our confidence and self-assuredness.

Then some of our bad boys started trickling into townships and partially adulterated the majority who are the good ones. Many of them did not just take over the good and bad businesses, they also took the women from their less generous boyfriends. Nigerians hold the world championship records in over-pampering their girlfriends. Many South African ladies ran away to Nigerians, told their parents to forget ever having them back.

But by far the biggest battle was among the drug lords and their gangs. The South Africans alleged in 2016 that Nigerians were taking over the trade and they must flush them out by fire by force. This was confirmed by a well-positioned staff of our High Commission in Pretoria. Since then there has been a simmering war between the South African drug cartels and the foreign drug cartels some of which unfortunately include Nigerian drug barons.

One of the major causes of the present strife, for which Nigerians are in the forefront of foreigners being consumed by the conflagration, is the fact that foreigners especially Nigerians are typically more hardworking and industrious than their South African counterparts. Nigerians are business savvy and diligent. They are innovative and creative. They will prosper in the midst of adversity and the worst kind of situations, as is currently being shown by events at home. The ordinary South African probably finds this culture and work ethic alien to their DNA. What we must note, is that no narrative can justify or excuse the heinous and hideous atrocities that we have all been witnessing. We should not allow any fifth columnist to distract or divide us from being united against the evil, vile and wicked monstrosities being perpetrated against Nigerians in South Africa.

The culpability of the South African security apparatus for the ignoble events unfolding in South Africa is palpable. At this volatile moment, they appear to be tacitly and, sometimes, overtly supporting their people by studiously ignoring the wanton and depraved killings of foreigners and the unconscionable looting of their property. The South African Police Force is a largely efficient and well-drilled unit. It has significant resources to fight this scourge if it wishes. It has the benefit of CCTV and other surveillance techniques to fight any drug war, if that is partly the genesis of the crisis. It can bring down both the South African and foreign cartels if it so wishes. Turning a blind eye, as it seems to be doing, can only give fillip to the rumours that the police are complicit in the problem. It is in their own interest to nip such stories or popular beliefs in the bud.

As for me and my house, the major blame should go to His Excellency President Cyril Ramaphosa who had actually stoked the fire of xenophobia during his Presidential campaigns. Some of the statements he was captured saying on tape are too bizarre and unbecoming of a man of his position and status. His recent appeals to reason and wisdom have become too little and too late. Many are not even convinced of his sincerity. The popular belief is that those words are half-hearted and spoken with a forked tongue, that they are only uttered to fulfil all righteousness and nothing tangible would ever come out of them.

I believe the South Africans have bitten more than they can chew this time around and they should be taught some big lessons that they will never forget. I think the only language they would understand is if we inflict the biggest economic sanctions on them. If I were the President of Nigeria, I would threaten, and if not heeded, start the process of legally shutting down some of their major economic interests in our country like MTN and DSTV. In any event I would have immediately ordered an inventory of all South African businesses in Nigeria. I would also ask my High Commissioner in South Africa to embark on a similar exercise of Nigerian interests including small scale businesses. For every Nigerian business burnt or looted I would legitimately ensure that a South African business is taken over. If human limbs and lives are involved, I would inflict incarceration on those of them that have breached our laws and we have been turning a blind eye. Again, I am sure that there are more than a few of these. Moreover, I doubt that South Africa can survive for too long if their cash cow, MTN, or even DSTV, is nationalised, bidded and subjected to the ownership of Nigerians with commensurate and demonstrable capacities to run them. I am sure that there are quite a few infractions being committed by these South African giants that would make such a process possible. The insult on Nigeria has reached its peak and this should not be so.

To whom much is given, much is expected. Nigeria has been too kind to South Africa, but South Africa has never reciprocated properly. As President of Nigeria, I would have been brutal against the madness going on in South Africa. My response would have been swift, and harsh, albeit just. Someone needs to demonstrate that Nigeria is not squeamish or stupid. The fact that we are nice, kind, generous and accommodating should not be taken for docility or weakness.

Having said all these, I will never support any act of looting or damaging of South African shops in Nigeria. That would be tantamount to committing the same crime as the children of anger who have been going on rampage in South Africa. Two wrongs can never make a right. I believe the main thing that can hurt the South Africans is to wield our big economic stocks and block the very bountiful harvests they’ve been carting away from us. They will be forced to control the recalcitrant and unrepentant thugs, louts and brigands who have been acting stupidly and recklessly.

Let’s not behave like them. We should act like the intelligent and civilised humans of reasonable breed, culture and custom that we are and are renowned to be. Nigeria is not the giant of Africa without reason. This is probably the catalyst for the sleeping giant to awaken.

The ball is squarely in Mr President’s court. This is the time for action and not inaction. For authority and not delegation!

Headline

ADC National Convention: To Be or Not to Be?

Published

2 days ago

April 11, 2026

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

On April 1, 2026, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), led by its Law Professor Chairman, Joash Amupitan, threw a shocker at Nigerians, derecognising the David Mark and Rauf Aregbesola led-leadership of the hitherto main opposition party, the African Democratic Congress (ADC). The announcement has since generated chain reactions across board in the Nigerian body policy, creating divisive opinions for and against the electoral body.

Among other factors, the announcement put a question mark on the already planned April 14, 2026 National Convention of the ADC, prompting a question mark on whether or not the convention will hold as planned.

INEC had through its National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, announced the Commission’s decision to withdraw their recognition of the ADC leadership, with special emphasis to the Chairman, Senator David Mark and Secretary, Rauf Aregbesola, in a statement.

It hinged its decision on a court order which directed the commission to maintain the status quo pending the determination of a suit challenging the legality of David Mark’s leadership of the opposition party. But the maintenance of status quo was variously interpreted by interested parties to suit their various whims and caprice.

But the ADC has insisted on proceeding with its planned congresses and national convention despite the controversy surrounding its derecognition by INEC, a move the body said would amount to nullify if embarked upon.

ADC’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, announced this while speaking on Arise Television’s Morning Show, citing the party’s current leadership struggle.

Abdullahi stated that the party had already given INEC the required 21-day notice for its operations and that the commission acknowledged receipt of the notice.

He maintained that the ADC would not halt its internal processes regardless of INEC’s position, stressing that the party remains committed to carrying out its congresses and convention as scheduled.

The spokesman also expressed concern over what he described as growing threats to Nigeria’s democracy, warning against attempts to limit political competition ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The electoral authority has also announced that it will not accept Nafiu Bala Gombe, who is seeking to be declared national chairman through the court.

He said, “If we’re in a military regime, we can understand it. We are finding ourselves in a situation where everything is being done to ensure that the election in 2027 is a fait accompli and that Nigerians will be left with no option or no choice. We’ve seen how this has ended in the past.

“So we are saying that we will go ahead with our congresses. We have given INEC 21 days’ notice. They have accepted the notice.

“So whether they come or not, we’ll continue with our congresses; we’ll continue with our convention.

“We are all Nigerians. We can see what is going on. We can see our democracy unravelling before our very eyes.”

Consequently, with only a few days left before the stipulated date for the convention, the ADC has gone ahead to set up a 361-man convention planning committee that would soon be inaugurated.

If hitches or changes do not occur in the coming moments, the former governor of Cross River State, Leyel Imoke will lead the 361-member National Convention Central Coordination Committee of the David Mark-led National Working Committee (NWC) of the ADC.

Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, former governor of Sokoto State, will serve as vice chairman of the committee, while Ajuji Ahmed has been appointed secretary. The party maintains the national convention day as April 14, 2026.

Sources within the party informed that preparations for the convention were in full swing, with several committees already constituted to handle key aspects of the event.

The speedy plans attached to the Convention is borne out of the fact that the Mark-led NWC has rejected INEC’s interpretation of the judgement and insisted that it would proceed with the planned national convention and other internal party processes.

Prominent political figures backing the Mark camp including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar; formwr Anambra State governor, and Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 ele tions, Peter Obi; former Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi; former Kano State governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso; and former Osun State governor Rauf Aregbesola, had staged a protest to challenge INEC’s position.

Information reaching The Boss noted also that personalities like former governor of Imo State, Emeka Ihedioha; former Minister of State for Education, Emeka Nwajuba; FCT Senator, Ireti Kingibe and other prominent members of the ADC have been listed to play key roles in the planning of the convention.

But fresh evidence coming from several sources has noted that the state congresses sheduled for Saturday, April 11, 2026, have been stalled, no thanks to the leadership crisis rocking the party amid internal wrangling and legal hurdles.

As at today, crises have fragmented the party into three camps led by former Senate President David Mark, former deputy National chairman, Nafiu Gombe and a bloc spearheaded by some state ADC chairmen, and led by the party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Dumebi Kachikwu. This fragmentation has been the major reason that for the consequent de-recognition of the Mark-led National Working Committee by the INEC.

While some states have announced the suspension of their congresses, a few states have vowed to proceed with the election ahead of the party’s convention.

On Thursday, a faction led by Gombe stormed the INEC headquarters in Abuja, demanding formal recognition.

Gombe, accompanied by a Rep member from Kogi State, Leke Abejide, and hundreds of supporters, accused the David Mark-led leadership of attempting to hijack the party’s leadership in defiance of its constitution and internal processes.

Addressing officials of the electoral body during the protest, a barely-able-to-express-himself Gombe insisted that due process must be followed in resolving the leadership dispute.

Reading a prepared text, he said, “We are here to urge INEC to follow due process. You cannot come to the ADC through the window and expect to overturn the owners of the ADC. As democrats, we don’t want any moneybags to come and destroy democracy. The ADC is for all Nigerians from wards, states, to the national level.”

Also speaking, Abejide, who had said he would quit the ADC if the Mark NWC is finally recognised, called on the commission to resist what he described as an attempted takeover of the party, stressing that the ADC constitution clearly outlines eligibility requirements for leadership positions.

“We are here to urge INEC to do the right thing and rescue democracy from the hands of usurpers. How do you come to a party and attempt to hijack the leadership on the same day? Which political platform is that done?

“The party constitution is clear about this. You have to spend at least two years in the ADC as an active member before you can aspire for any position. The commission has not erred. These people are hijackers, and INEC must follow through on reverting to status quo ante bellum by recognising Nafiu Bala Gombe as the national chairman of the party,” he said.

Abejide has also filed a case at the Federal High Court, Abuja, seeking the permanent removal of Mark and Aregbesola as leaders of the party. Hearing comes up on Monday, April 13.

Similarly, the ADC Director of Youths and Mobilisation, Mohammed Sahad, commended INEC for complying with a court order, but urged the commission to go further by affirming Gombe’s leadership.

“INEC has not erred in any way. In fact, we commend the commission for obeying the court order. But they need to recognise Nafiu Bala Gombe as the authentic national chairman of the ADC. INEC needs to do the right thing and do it now. That is why we are here,” he said.

Responding on behalf of the commission, INEC National Commissioner, Abdullahi Abdu Zuru, assured the protesters that their concerns would be reviewed.

“I am here on behalf of the chairman, and I believe INEC, as a commission, will look at your letter and give you feedback. Thank you for being orderly with your protest,” he said.

The protest comes barely 24 hours after a rival faction of the party, led by former Senate President David Mark, staged a large demonstration in Abuja under the banner of #OccupyINEC, accusing the electoral body of actions they claimed undermined democracy and the party’s internal leadership structure.

The back-to-back protests underscore the deepening rift within the ADC, raising concerns over the party’s stability ahead of future electoral contests.

In another development, Adamawa State chapter of the ADC has been barred from going ahead with the congress by a Yola High Court.

Justice Ahmed Isa, who presided over the case, ordered the suspension of the congresses, which was scheduled for Thursday until the determination of the case. The court subsequently adjourned the case to April 15, 2026, for continuation of the hearing, a day after the supposed National Convention.

The embattled ADC chairman in the State, Shehu Yohanna, had approached the court, seeking to stop the congresses due to alleged exclusion from the process.

Yohanna filed the suit against Sadiq Dasin, the state chairman of the transition committee.

According to a report on The PUNCH however, the North East Vice Chairman of the party and former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Babachir Lawal, denied knowledge of the court ruling.

“I’m in Abuja, so I don’t know about the case. Go and ask those who were in court today. I don’t know anything about the court case,” he told The Punch.

In Anambra State, the party chairman, Patrick Obianyo, disclosed that the party has suspended the proposed congresses until further notice.

Obianyo said the party’s decision underscores its unwavering commitment to the rule of law, due process, and respect for judicial authority.

He, therefore, called on all party members and stakeholders to remain calm, law-abiding, and peaceful throughout this period.

He also informed the INEC not to recognise anything done by those parading themselves as ADC leaders in the state.

“The African Democratic Congress, the Anambra State chapter, has announced the immediate suspension of all planned and proposed congresses across the state, until further notice.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the tenure of the current ADC Executive Committee in Anambra State, as well as in other states, remains constitutionally valid and duly recognised by INEC.

“Consequently, the general public is strongly advised to disregard any directives, announcements, or actions from unauthorised individuals falsely parading themselves as party leaders.

“The party will duly communicate new dates for congresses and conventions following the conclusion of ongoing national consultations and meetings.’’

Similarly, the Ondo ADC has announced the suspension of its earlier scheduled Congresses following the re-recognition of the national leadership of the party.

The party had earlier scheduled to hold its ward, local government and state congresses this month, but disclosed that the exercises had been suspended.

This was contained in a statement made available to our correspondent by the state chairman of the party, Mr Wole Ademoyegun.

It said the suspension was in line with the directive of the INEC, which asked the party to maintain the status quo ante bellum.

“We reaffirm our unwavering respect for INEC as the constitutionally constituted regulatory authority for political parties and our firm commitment to due process and institutional order.

BACK TO COURT AFTER PROTESTS

Meanwhile, the David Mark, factional has returned to court after its elaborate protests, where they called for the removal of INEC boss, Amupitan, asking the Federal High Court in Abuja to overturn the decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to derecognise his leadership of the party.

In a motion filed before Emeka Nwite, the presiding judge, Mark is seeking orders compelling INEC to restore his name and that of Rauf Aregbesola as national chairman and national secretary of the party, respectively.

Mark also urged Justice Emeka Nwite to grant an order of mandatory injunction setting aside INEC’s refusal to attend or monitor the ADC’s congresses or convention, pending the hearing and determination of the instant suit.

The embattled chairman also sought an order of mandatory injunction directing INEC to forthwith restore and maintain the names of all ADC’s National Working Committee (NWC) in its records and portal, prior to the institution of the suit, and pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.

The motion on notice, dated and filed on April 7, was filed by Mark’s new lawyer, Sulaiman Usman, SAN.

The motion is in reaction to the March 12 Court of Appeal’s judgement in a suit instituted by Hon Nafiu Bala Gombe before Justice Nwite.

The motion, which sought three reliefs, was brought pursuant to Order 26, Rules 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the Federal High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules, 2019; the inherent jurisdiction of the court and under the equitable jurisdiction of the court to grant injunctive reliefs.

By every inch of explanation, all is not well with the ADC, and its quest to be on the ballot paper come 2027. The party has consistently blamed President Bola Tinubu for its woes, saying the president is muzzling opposition in a bid to be the only one contesting against himself; the only one on the ballot in 2027.

But will Nigerians allow the plot? Time will tell.

Headline

Amnesty Condemns Wike’s ‘Shoot’ Remark Against Seun Okinbaloye

Published

7 days ago

April 6, 2026

Eric

Amnesty International Nigeria has condemned comments by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, over a statement in which he said he could “shoot” a television anchor during a live broadcast.

In a statement issued on Saturday, the organisation described the minister’s remarks as “reckless and violent,” warning that such language could incite attacks on journalists and undermine press freedom.

The group said Wike’s statement, made during a media parley in Abuja, violated broadcasting standards and carried the risk of normalising violence against media practitioners.

“Amnesty International Nigeria strongly condemns the reckless and violent language of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Nyesom Wike, in which he stated that he can respond to a statement by a journalist with shooting,” the statement read.

It added that Wike’s remarks—“If there’s any way to break the screen, I would have shot him”—not only incited violence but also contravened Nigeria’s broadcasting code, which the National Broadcasting Commission is mandated to enforce.

The organisation warned that such comments from a public official could embolden attacks on journalists.

“What Wike said carries the danger of normalising violence and encouraging the targeting of journalists for just doing their job. This level of violent intent coming from a member of Nigeria’s federal cabinet is unlawful and unacceptable,” it said.

Amnesty International called on the minister to immediately withdraw the statement and issue a public apology.

The controversy followed Wike’s reaction to comments made by Channels Television anchor Seun Okinbaloye during a programme discussing the leadership crisis in the African Democratic Congress and its implications for opposition politics ahead of the 2027 elections. Okinbaloye had raised concerns about the possibility of a one-party state, a position the minister criticised as inappropriate for a journalist.

Headline

Is Amupitan’s INEC Complicit?

Published

1 week ago

April 5, 2026

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

Following the Wednesday derecognition of the leadership of the main opposition party, the African Democratic Congress (ADC), by the Prof Joash Amupitan-led Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), diverse narratives have flooded media space as to the real reason behind the decision.

A section of the Nigerian population has wondered if the INEC is playing out a well written script or swaying to a thoroughly rehearsed and choreographed dance. Others have hinted that the electoral body, and its officials, who are products of the powers that be, are harking to the voice of their pay paymaster to ensure that the vocal fears of many Nigerians regarding the intention of the President Bola Tinubu-controlled Federal Government and All Progressives Congress (APC) to turn the country to a one-party state comes to reality.

These and many other developments in recent times have prompted the rhetorical question, is Amupitan’s INEC complicit? Are the popularly assumed Independent body dependent on the APC government to dance to their tunes? Will Amupitan, whom many Nigerians celebrated his appointment go the way if other INEC chairmen? Especially the immediate past chairman, Professor Yakubu Mahmood, who has been rewarded with ambassadorial appointment presently.

It would be recalled that INEC, on Wednesday through its National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, announced the Commission’s decision to withdraw their recognition of the ADC leadership, with special emphasis to the Chairman, Senator David Mark and Secretary, Rauf Aregbesola, in a statement.

It hinged its decision on a court order which directed the commission to maintain the status quo pending the determination of a suit challenging the legality of David Mark’s leadership of the opposition party. But the maintenance of status quo has been variously interpreted by interested parties to suit their various whims and caprice.

While the Amupitan-led INEC believes that status quo means going back to the days before the leadership of David Marj came on board, the ADC argued that the status quo promptly refers to the period before any law suit was Instituted. The development puts a heavy question mark on the judiciary, and it’s ambiguous declarations and judgment, and the lawyers, who most times, out of mischief, refuses to adhere to the correct interpretation in as much as they are aware what the interpretation is or should be.

Now, who interprets the interpreter?

INEC has said in a statement that the appellate court, in a judgment delivered on March 12, 2026, directed all parties to maintain the existing situation before the dispute arose and refrain from actions that could prejudice the outcome of the case.

“That the Commission would, in accordance with the Order of the Court of Appeal in Appeal No. CA/ABJ/145/2026 refrain from taking any step or doing any act capable of foisting a fait accompli on the court or otherwise rendering nugatory the proceedings before the trial court, having regard to all the processes filed before the trial Court,” the statement read.

Reacting, the mark-led ADC and a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), through their spokespersons, Bolaji Abdullahi and Ini Ememobong, insisted that the development was a calculated attempt to undermine democratic structures, alleging the involvement of the APC government and urging supporters to mobilise in defence of democratic principles.

Abdullahi said INEC’s position does not reflect the facts of the case and raises concerns about impartiality. He noted in a statement as follows:

“We reject INEC’s interpretation of the Court of Appeal ruling.

“INEC’s press statement is full of contradictions that fly in the face of both facts and reason. We shall clarify these contradictions for all to see. What is clear, however, is that INEC has caved to pressure and has chosen to side with the government against the Nigerian people,” the statement read.

“We are currently reviewing our options, and we shall make these known soon.

“Meanwhile, we call on our members and all Nigerians to remain steadfast as they await further directives.

“Nigeria is rising. ADC is rising,” he added.

As a follow-up to the rejection, the ADC called for the resignation or sack of the INEC Chairman, accusing him of complicity and colluding with the ruling APC to ensure no other political party is on the ballot paper to challenge the APC in the 2027 elections.

Mark, who addressed the world press conference noted as follows in a speech titled, This Attack on Democracy Will Not Stand.

On behalf of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), and lovers of democracy, I welcome you all to this world press conference.

Since 1999, Nigeria has been under democratic rule. After 27 years, we thought we could proudly celebrate the entrenchment of democracy, believing that the country’s dictatorial past has receded into history.

Our experience in the past three years or so since President Bola Tinubu came to power has however confirmed otherwise. Democracy is only sustained by the quality of freedom that it offers and guarantees, especially the freedom to choose, the freedom to participate, and the freedom to associate. These freedoms are so critical to democracy that without them, democracy dies.

Yet, in the past three years, we have witnessed a relentless assault on these very freedoms. The agenda is very clear, to create a situation where, in 2027, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu emerges as the only option left for the people, despite the widespread suffering and wanton killings going on across the country. The twin challenge of deepening poverty, and worsening security situation in the country did not just happen. They are direct consequences of the failure of this government. They know that Nigerians will not want this to continue. They know Nigerians will vote them out. This is why they would do anything to hang on to power by hook or crook.

Background to the Coalition

The coalition of opposition parties came about as a result of a collective search for democratic freedom and the desire to resist what was clearly a relentless assault on opposition political parties. The coalition leaders decided to come together under ADC to save multi-party democracy in Nigeria and rescue Nigeria from what was clearly an emerging dictatorship.

We did not come to the ADC by chance. We did our due diligence. We fulfilled all the party’s constitutional requirements, as well as all wider requirements under the laws that guide the management and operation of political parties.

In furtherance of this process, a NEC meeting was convened on July 29th, 2025, monitored by INEC officials. One of the conclusions of that NEC meeting was the dissolution of the National Working Committee of the party, and the ratification of a caretaker committee to take over the affairs of the party, with my humble self, David Mark, as the National Chairman; Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola as the National Secretary; as well as others who have since been serving as officers of the party.

In addition to witnessing this process that brought in the new leadership of the party, a formal report of these resolutions was subsequently communicated to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). On September 9th, 2025, INEC then uploaded the names of the relevant NWC members of the party, based on the NEC resolutions.

One of the officials in the dissolved NWC was Nafiu Bala, who was one of the Deputy National Chairmen of the party. It is on record that Gombe resigned this position on 17th May, 2025. His resignation was also duly transmitted to INEC on the 12th of August, 2025. Regardless of his resignation, he decided to approach the courts on September 2nd, 2025, four clear months after his resignation, seeking to be recognised as the Chairman of the ADC.

What this means is that by the 2nd of September, when he approached the courts, INEC was already aware that Secretary Aregbesola and I had been inaugurated on the 29th of July in a process monitored by INEC. INEC was also aware that Gombe had resigned his position before the said inauguration on the 29th of July.

While this matter was in court, our team of lawyers approached the Court of Appeal, challenging the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court. In rejecting the appeal, the Court of Appeal ordered the parties including INEC to maintain the status quo ante bellum.

After this ruling on March 12th, 2026, we noticed a flurry of activities by lawyers associated with Nafiu Bala, requesting INEC to recognise him as the new chairman, or to de-recognise Aregbesola and I as the secretary and chairman respectively, in a curious interpretation of what constitutes status quo ante bellum. But we knew all along that Nafiu Bala and his lawyers were not acting on their own volition. They had become willing tools in the hands of a ruling party that had lost all support and goodwill of the Nigerian people; a government that had become desperate to cling on to power by all means even if it meant throwing the country into avoidable crisis.

In the past couple of months, ADC has become the only viable opposition party left in Nigeria. But this APC government does not want any opposition. While we were fully aware of all their desperate plans, we remained confident that no level of desperation would have driven the government and the INEC to take a direct action against the ruling of the court. But we were wrong.

It was therefore to our surprise, yesterday, 1st of April, that INEC issued a press statement after the close of business hours, announcing that it had decided to withdraw recognition for both the ADC leadership, which I head, and the fictitious one purportedly led by Nafiu Bala, thereby creating a false equivalence between the parties.

By purporting to recognizing Nafiu Bala as a faction, INEC seems to have conveniently forgotten that this individual had resigned his position, to the knowledge of INEC itself.

The Legal Position

The crux of the matter is the interpretation of what constitutes status quo ante bellum, which the Court of Appeal directed should be maintained. From all authoritative counsel at our disposal, there is no legal interpretation or precedent that could possibly lead to the outcome that INEC seeks to foist on our party.

Based on its press statement of yesterday, INEC is pretending to be confused as to what constitutes the status quo ante bellum. If this was so, under the circumstances, what one would have expected was for INEC to approach the Court of Appeal to request a judicial interpretation of what truly represents the status quo under the circumstances. But it did not do this. While posturing to be neutral, its actions confirm that it has become irredeemably partisan, working, as it were, towards a preconceived agenda. With its action, this INEC has left no one in doubt that it has chosen the path of dishonour and has become complicit in undermining Nigeria’s democracy. It therefore can no longer be trusted.

What we say in essence is this: INEC cannot choose to fix the status quo from the day it took the administrative action to upload the names of the new ADC officials on its website, because INEC does not have the power to determine for any political party who its leaders should be. That decision was taken on July 29th, not on September 9th. With its press release yesterday, INEC has invented a status quo that never existed, because there was no time that the African Democratic Congress (ADC) did not have a duly constituted leadership. What INEC has done is to create a situation that, by its own curious logic, leaves the ADC without leadership. This certainly cannot be the status quo that the Court of Appeal directed should be preserved. It is an INEC invention that is not known to any Nigerian law.

There is only one conclusion that Nigerians can draw from the April 1st action taken by INEC: THE ELECTORAL UMPIRE HAS TAKEN SIDES. IT CAN NO LONGER BE TRUSTED. As a matter of fact, INEC has acted in contempt of the Court of Appeal and has therefore acted unlawfully.

My fellow democrats, distinguished ladies and gentlemen. It is not the ADC that is under attack. This is a direct assault on Nigeria’s democracy and the right of Nigerians to choose, participate, and exercise their rights as free citizens. We have witnessed how the APC-led Federal Government has undermined, compromised, and coerced other opposition political parties. The ADC has risen as the last bastion between Nigeria’s democracy and full-blown dictatorship. And this is what worries them.

What is now unfolding is a concerted effort to dismantle that last bulwark. If we allow this to happen, it could signal the end of our democracy as we know it. If we yield to it, we would have become complicit by our inaction. We therefore hold it a duty to our democracy and the Nigerian people to say “no”.

Right now, I speak to Nigerians at home and in diaspora. I also speak directly to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu: with 90% of the National Assembly and over 30 of Nigeria’s 36 Governors in the APC, President Tinubu, what are you afraid of? If you are convinced that you have done well for the people who voted for you, why are you afraid of a free, fair, and transparent electoral contest? If you are indeed the democrat that you claim to be, why are you bent on destroying all opposition political parties?

Let me reiterate for the record; there are no competing claims on the leadership of the ADC. Nafiu Bala has no locus whatsoever. INEC should have waited for the Court of Appeal to decide this matter. Instead, INEC went ahead to do the bidding of the ruling party. But let us be clear: the role of INEC over political parties is not administrative: it is not managerial: It is simply supervisory.

For the avoidance of doubt, the leadership of ADC inaugurated at the 29th July 2025, NEC meeting remains the lawful leaders of the party. Party members and all Nigerians should therefore remain calm as there is no cause for alarm whatsoever.

It is important to state the net implications of this decision taken by INEC, in case they had not thought of it, or they just do not care:

First, by attempting to subvert the leadership of the ADC, INEC has already undermined our participation in the Osun and Ekiti elections taking place later this year.

Secondly, we have our congresses starting on the 9th of April, 2026, ending with our convention on the 14th April, 2026. We have given due notice to INEC, and they have acknowledged receipt of that notice. This is what the law requires of us.

Let us sound a note of warning. This INEC under Professor Joash Amupitan will be held directly responsible for whatever actions or reactions that follow this criminal path that it has chosen to take.

Our demand is therefore clear:

We demand the immediate resignation or sack of the INEC Chairman, Professor Amupitan, and all the National Commissioners. We no longer have confidence in them. We are convinced that they are incapable of conducting any credible election.

Let us also make it clear: we are proceeding with our party programmes, because there is nothing under the law that makes INEC’s attendance, a mandatory requirement. We have duly served INEC notice, and we will proceed accordingly.

We also call on the international community to take note of INEC’s actions of April 1st, and of the restraint we are exercising today. We urge them to recognise the clear threat to Nigeria’s democracy and stability, and to hold accountable those who are undermining the integrity of the electoral process.

We call on Nigerians to defend our democracy. This is a defining moment. Stand firm. Speak out. Participate. Resist any attempt to impose a one-party state on Nigeria. Nigeria belongs to all of us, and together, we must protect it.

It is often said, that the arc of history does not bend towards tyranny. It bends towards freedom.

And no matter how long the night may seem, the morning will come.

Nigeria will not be silenced. Nigeria will not be conquered.

Nigeria is rising, ADC is rising.

While Nigerians from all walks of life continue to react either positively or negatively, depending on the political divide, the ADC has insisted on going ahead with its National Convention scheduled for April 14, 2026, and its Congresses in deviance to INEC’s directive.

INEC had warned the ADC that it risks losing out completely it went ahead to conduct a Convention without the backing of the electoral body and with a court judgment on maintenance of status quo hanging on their necks. But the ADC would hear none of this, claiming that INEC is acting out a script, carefully written out by the Tinubu-led FG and APC.

Lending his voice to the accusation that Amupitan is backed by Tinubu’s government, prominent legal scholar Professor Chidi Odinkalu alleged that Professor Amupitan signed a resignation letter before taking office as a condition of his appointment — and that the threat of releasing it was used to pressure him into withdrawing recognition from the David Mark-led National Working Committee of the African Democratic Congress.

“I have it on the most impeccable authority that there is a pre-signed resignation letter by Chairman Amupitan.

“It was a precondition for his appointment. Ultimately, that had to be called in aid by those who persuaded him to issue this release. The threat of releasing it did the magic,” Odinkalu wrote on X.

Odinkalu also noted that INEC’s decision came roughly 60 hours after senior officials of the commission held meetings with the Presidency, justices of the Court of Appeal, and the Federal High Court — a sequence of events he said was not coincidental.

He further warned that the 2027 election “will not be much of an election,” stressing that the credibility of Nigeria’s electoral process, and the stability of the country, could be at serious risk if the allegations prove true.

Also speaking, a former Director, Voter Education and Publicity in INEC, Barr. Oluwole Osaze-Uzzi, faulted the commission’s de-recognition of the David Mark-led leadership of the ADC, insisting that the Opposition party should go ahead with its planned congresses despite its ongoing leadership dispute before the court.

Osaze-Uzzi said while he held the leadership of INEC in high regard, he had serious reservations about the commission’s interpretation of the Appeal Court order at the centre of the ADC leadership tussle.

Osaze-Uzzi argued that the order in question was not one that stripped either side in the crisis of legitimacy, but rather one that sought to preserve the subject matter of the case pending final determination by the High Court.

“Because the court did not say that INEC will withdraw recognition from either faction. All it did say is that both INEC and the contesting factions will be careful not to do anything that will usurp the power of the court and its ability to do justice on the matter,” he stated.

“I think the ADC should proceed with all that they are doing, as long as they do not impugn the majesty of the court and its ability to do justice on the case,” Osaze-Uzzi said.

According to him, the court did not direct INEC to withdraw recognition from either of the contending factions in the party, but only cautioned all parties against taking any step that could undermine the authority of the court or frustrate the judicial process.

The debate whether the Mark-led ADC defaulted when they took over the leadership of the party in July 2025 still remains on the front burner with the opposers, mostly APC adherents, lashing out at the opposition party, and hailing INEC’s decision while supporters of the ADC have not only blamed the INEC, but accused Tinubu of fear of having opposition.

The coming days promise to be dicey in the Nigerian political terrain, seeing that the ADC is the only viable opposition to Tinubu’s re-emergence in 2027.

While Nigerians watch events develop, the all-important question remains, is Amupitan’s INEC complicit?