The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has strongly rejected claims by the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, warning that proceeding with its congresses and national convention could violate a court order.
In a statement released on Friday and signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the opposition party accused the INEC chairman of misrepresenting the directive of the Court of Appeal and acting outside the powers of the electoral commission.
The party said Amupitan’s remarks during an interview on ARISE News amounted to a “wilful distortion” of the court’s order to maintain the status quo in the ongoing legal dispute involving the party.
According to the ADC, the order to maintain the status quo was intended to prevent actions that could permanently alter the subject of litigation, not to halt the internal operations of a political party.
“The preservation order by the Court of Appeal does not paralyse the internal functioning of a political party,” the statement said.
The party argued that the INEC chairman’s interpretation of the legal doctrine of status quo ante bellum — suggesting that party activities must be rolled back to an earlier point and suspended — was both selective and legally flawed.
ADC further accused INEC of attempting to assume powers it does not possess by implying that the commission’s presence determines the validity of party congresses or conventions.
It said the electoral body’s statutory responsibility is limited to monitoring such processes once it has been formally notified, stressing that the absence of INEC officials does not invalidate internal party proceedings.
The party also dismissed the commission’s reference to conflicting communications from different factions within the ADC as a reason for withholding monitoring.
According to the statement, internal disputes are common in political parties and do not suspend their constitutional rights to organise and function.
“INEC’s role is not to arbitrate internal party disputes or freeze party activities pending their resolution,” the party said.
ADC also rejected comparisons with previous judicial decisions involving electoral disputes, such as the case in Zamfara State, noting that those rulings were based on proven violations of legal requirements for primary elections.
The party maintained that its planned congresses and national convention would be conducted strictly in line with its constitution and the Electoral Act.
It warned that attempts by administrative agencies to restrict lawful political activities based on speculation about potential court outcomes could undermine democratic principles.
The ADC therefore reaffirmed its decision to proceed with its internal processes, insisting that no court order has explicitly prohibited the party from holding its congresses or convention.
The statement concluded by urging INEC to limit its actions strictly to its constitutional mandate and avoid interpretations of court rulings that could threaten political pluralism in Nigeria.
