ADC Crisis: INEC will abide by Court ruling on Atiku’s 2027 presidential ambition

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, has said the commission will abide by the court’s decision on whether former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar can contest the 2027 presidential election.

Amupitan stated this on Thursday while speaking at Chatham House in London, in response to a question on Atiku’s eligibility to contest the election if he fails to overturn the court judgment affecting the leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

The INEC chairman said he was constitutionally bound to obey court orders, particularly decisions of the Supreme Court, regardless of their political implications.

“If he eventually fails, well, I’m obligated under Section 285 of the Constitution of Nigeria to obey every court order, especially if it is from the Supreme Court,” he said.

Amupitan, however, expressed concern over the growing number of pending court cases involving the electoral commission as preparations for the 2027 general election gather momentum.

He disclosed that INEC had more than 300 cases pending against it, adding that the commission was facing significant pressure with the election about 66 days away at the time of the earlier dispute he referenced.

“Some of those issues we have with court cases, over 300 cases hanging on the neck of INEC, and elections is just about 66 days away,” he said.

He explained that the commission had earlier supported an accelerated hearing of the ADC leadership dispute, arguing that pre-election cases should be resolved early enough to enable INEC to plan its electoral logistics.

“When it happened in April, the position of the commission was that matter should be resolved within three weeks,” he said.

Amupitan added that INEC had acted in line with a court directive to suspend action and await the outcome of the legal process, but the dispute eventually proceeded to the appeal stage.

The INEC chairman also called for reforms to prevent pre-election disputes from disrupting preparations for general elections.

He proposed that such cases should be concluded at least six months or one year before an election to give the commission sufficient time to organise its activities.

“I had advocated in several fora that we pre-election matters should abate at least a year before the election, or let’s say six months, so that we can fix our logistics,” he said.

Amupitan disclosed that INEC had already commenced the procurement of sensitive election materials, warning that unresolved legal disputes could complicate the commission’s preparations.

He also expressed concern that the commission often faces public criticism when implementing court decisions, even when it is only complying with legal directives.

“The danger is that whenever there is such decision, and it’s you to now implement, you become the problem. The problem now is transferred unto you,” he said.

The Federal High Court had earlier nullified the leadership of the ADC faction led by former Senate President David Mark, a ruling that has raised questions about the validity of decisions taken under the leadership, including Atiku’s emergence as the party’s presidential candidate.

The ADC has rejected the judgment and said it would challenge the decision at the Court of Appeal.

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