*INEC Receives Party’s Petition
A LARGE crowd of protesters, comprising leaders, members and supporters of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), on Wednesday, April 8, stormed the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Abuja to the interference in its internal affairs and withdrawal of the recognition accorded the leadership of the party ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The protesters include former vice president, Atiku Abubakar; a former senate president and the party’s factional National Chairman, David Mark; National Secretary, Rauf Aregbesola; former governors of Sokoto and Rivers states, Aminu Tambuwal and Chibuike Amaechi; former governor of Anambra State and Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi; former governor of Kano State and leader of the Kwankwasiyya Movement, Rabiu Kwankwaso; former senator, Dino Melaye; and other political figures.
They were joined by people from different political parties and groups and the protest soon became a coalition rally on defending democracy and demanding credibility of the electoral system and umpire.
The protesters had earlier gathered at David Mark’s residence, where a morning service was held to mark his 78th birthday, before moving out in a coordinated march.
The crowd defied the rain and march to the INEC office in an orderly manner during the protest, tagged #OccupyINEC.
The protesters sang Nigeria’s former national anthem, ‘Arise, O Compatriots,’ replaced on May 29, 2024, by President Bola Tinubu with the independence anthem, ‘Nigeria, We Hail Thee.’
Obi, who addressed the crowd, on behalf of ADC members and other opposition leaders, urged Nigerians to defend the country’s democracy.
He wrote on X: “We, members and leaders of the ADC, and other well-meaning Nigerians, lovers of democracy, are saying that our democracy must not be killed.
“We say NO to a one-party system, and for that, today we’re calling out Nigerians who believe in unity, peace, and security of our country to join us as we defend democracy in our land.”
National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement, Yunusa Tanko, alleged: “This Commission is now becoming the arbiter, judge, accuser and defender at the same time.
“Our major issue is the manner in which INEC has been going about creating disaffection in the opposition.
“The people are really angry and plan to show this anger by coming out. So, we’ll expect them to come out en masse for a peaceful rally. Then we’ll just demonstrate and protest.”
Meanwhile, an INEC National Commissioner, Abdullahi Zuru, received a petition submitted by Aregbesola, on behalf of the party’s leadership.
The opposition party has accused INEC of siding with APC to block its chances of fielding candidates in next years elections.
Recall that INEC suspended the recognition of the Mark-led ADC leadership last week, citing the Court of Appeal ruling that directed the parties to the suit at the Federal High Court, including INEC, to maintain the status quo ante bellum, pending the determination of the leadership crisis in the opposition party.
Its former vice chairman, Bala Gombe, had challenged Mark’s emergence, following the resignation of Ralph Nwosu as national chairman, insisting he should assume leadership, in line with the party’s constitution.
The case is still pending at the Federal High Court.
However, Mark’s camp had filed an interlocutory appeal ahead of the Federal High Court’s judgment, but was dismissed by the Court of Appeal, which asked all parties involved to maintain the status quo,pending the lower court’s ruling on the substantive suit.
In compliance, INEC stopped dealing with any of the two factions until the case at the Federal High Court is determined, saying: “The court also ordered that parties should maintain status quo ante bellum and should not do anything that will foist a fait accompli on the trial court or render the proceedings nugatory.”
INEC Chairman, Joash Amupitan, explained in an television interview.
But the Mark-led faction accused INEC of willfully misinterpreting the judgment, instead demanded Amupitan’s resignation.
This is just as another faction claiming the party’s leadership emerged on Tuesday at a press conference in Abuja, where some state chairmen and its other senior members loyal to its presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, Dumebi Kachikwu, backed INEC’s decision to stop dealing with Mark and Bala’s factions.
