The National Executive Committee Chairmen Forum of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, has asked the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to remove Senator David Mark and members of his dissolved Interim National Working Committee from its portal.
The forum threatened to organise a nationwide protest if the commission failed to implement a court judgement on the party’s leadership dispute.
It also called on INEC to replace their names with those of Nafiu Bala Gombe and other officials it considers the party’s legally recognised leaders.
The group further asked the commission to reopen its portal to enable the ADC to conduct fresh primaries where necessary and submit its candidates for the 2027 general elections.
The forum’s secretary, Kennedy Odion, made the demands while speaking to journalists in Abuja on Friday, a day after Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja nullified the Mark-led interim leadership of the party.
Odion said the judgement invalidated decisions taken by the dissolved leadership, including the nomination of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar as the party’s presidential candidate and the emergence of other candidates through congresses and the national convention organised by the interim leadership.
He said the ruling supported the forum’s position that the interim leadership was not recognised by the party’s constitution.
“We, the only legally recognised NEC members, accept in its entirety the judgement declaring our own Alhaji Nafiu Bala Gombe the authentic national chairman of the ADC.
“Failure to comply with this latest judgement will leave us no option but to proceed with our planned nationwide protest against the electoral umpire. Nigeria is for all of us. No individual, however highly placed, is above the law,” he said.
Odion also maintained that the judgement affected the candidatures of Atiku, his running mate and former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, as well as other politicians who emerged through processes organised by the interim leadership.