Professor of Law, Chidi Anselm Odinkalu, said the presidency’s threat to activate Amupitan’s alleged pre-signed resignation letter led to the commission’s delisting of Mark and other leaders of ADC from INEC portal.
Odinkalu carpeted INEC over its interpretation of the ruling of the Court of Appeal in the case (appeal) between Mark and Gombe and others.
In his X post, Odinkalu pointed fingers at the INEC leadership, President Bola Tinubu, Court of Appeal, and the Federal High Court, alleging a meeting that culminated in the commission’s statement containing its interpretation of the Court of Appeal’s ruling.
Odinkalu wrote, “This release by @inecnigeria followed a meeting involving senior leaders of the Commission, & @NGRPresident, @CourtOfAppealNG, @FederalHigh in the last 60 hours.
“I have it on the most impeccable authority that there is a pre-signed resignation letter by Chairman (Professor Joash) Amupitan (INEC chairman).
“It was a pre-condition 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. It should be evident to a professor of law & #SAN that it is not the business of @inecnigeria to interpret the decision of the Court of Appeal.
“If they had any doubt, an #INEC governed by good faith should have gone back to the Court of Appeal to secure an interpretation of the decision.
“But that is not where we are now. The country stares down a barrel & only those willing to enable that, make peace with it, or dare it will be able to sniff the stakes in #NigeriaDecides2027.”
Frank: INEC, APC’s Illegal Action Against ADC Will Set Nigeria on Fire
A former deputy national publicity secretary of APC, Timi Frank, accused INEC and APC of taking actions capable of destabilising Nigeria’s democratic system.
Frank said recent developments involving ADC could trigger a national crisis.
Frank, while reacting to the decision of INEC to derecognise the David Mark leadership of ADC, in a statement, criticised the erstwhile Vice Chairman of the party, Nafiu Bala Gombe, who claimed to be the authentic acting national chairman.
“INEC and the APC-led government appear to be taking steps that threaten the very foundation of our democracy,” he said.
Frank stated that the pattern of events across opposition parties suggested a coordinated attempt to weaken political competition ahead of the 2027 general election.
He warned that the trend mirrored developments during the regime of former Head of State, Sani Abacha, when democratic institutions were suppressed.
Frank said internal crises within major opposition parties, including PDP, Labour Party, Social Democratic Party (SDP), and New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), had been influenced by external forces, and warned that the situation was now spreading to ADC.
He alleged that the judiciary was being deployed to frustrate opposition parties through questionable rulings.
Tight Security at INEC Headquarters over ADC Leadership Dispute
There was a heavy deployment of security operatives at the headquarters of INEC, on Thursday, in Abuja, with all entry and exit points effectively locked amid the deepening crisis within ADC.
Although details of the development remained unclear, sources indicated that the heightened security presence followed INEC’s decision to remove David Mark and Rauf Aregbesola as the party’s National Chairman and National Secretary, respectively, from its official portal.
The move, reportedly, sparked outrage within the party, with leaders said to be strategising on how to respond to what they described as “INEC impunity”.
Plans by opposition groups, including members of ADC and the Obidient Movement, to converge at the commission’s Maitama headquarters were also cited as a possible reason for the security clampdown.
Security operatives drawn from Department of State Services (DSS), Nigeria Police, and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) were seen cordoning off the premises with patrol vehicles, effectively restricting movement around the area.
Yiaga: INEC’s Voter Revalidation Good Policy, Dangerous Timing
Executive Director of Yiaga Africa, Samson Itodo, described INEC’s planned voter revalidation as a good policy, but argued that it came at a dangerous time.
Reacting to the INEC policy to revalidate voters register, Itodo said, “It is a known and publicly acceptable fact that Nigeria’s voter register is in dire need of urgent clean-up to remove errors, multiple registrants, and dead persons.
“The much talked about INEC revalidation exercise is definitely a great approach to clean the register.
“However, the timing of the exercise is deeply problematic. As of this moment the framework, scope, procedures, and implications are unknown to the public.”
He explained that a voter revalidation exercise had serious political and electoral consequences, so timing and transparency were absolutely critical.
According to the Yiaga executive director, “This is a case of a good policy implemented at a wrong time. The 2027 electoral cycle has the most compressed timelines for electoral activities, and it is clear the system is overstretched.
“Continuous Voter Registration is still ongoing, political party primaries are set to begin in a matter of weeks, and delays in the release of funding to INEC have already placed enormous pressure on the commission’s preparations.
“Introducing a nationwide revalidation exercise now risks overwhelming the system, confusing voters, and potentially suppressing participation, especially among those who may not understand the process or miss the revalidation deadline.”
Chuks Okocha, Onyebuchi Ezigbo and Adedayo Akinwale
