chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Dele Momodu, has criticised the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over its decision to derecognise the party’s leadership linked to Senator David Mark and Rauf Aregbesola.
INEC had earlier removed the names of Mark and Aregbesola from its portal as National Chairman and National Secretary of the ADC, respectively, citing its interpretation of a Court of Appeal ruling on the party’s leadership dispute.
Reacting shortly after the party rejected the commission’s position, Momodu took to X on Wednesday, accusing INEC of bias and alleging collusion with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
“INEC has been a debilitating albatross on Nigeria. Our country has waltzed from bad to worse, since the annulment of June 12, 1993 Presidential election, which was apparently won by Chief Moshood Abiola ,” he wrote.
He further questioned the commission’s neutrality, referencing its handling of internal disputes within other political parties.
“The speed at which the current INEC swiftly recognized the Wike faction of PDP immediately convinced me about the robotic nature of our INEC. There are different factions in APC fighting in different States, but INEC cannot touch them,” he said.
Momodu also alleged that recent political developments point to growing pressure on opposition parties.
“With all the governors coerced or cajoled and cheaply converted to APC, the ruling party is still feverishly jittery,” he added.
On the ADC leadership crisis, he warned that the party may have to rely on judicial intervention.
“Now that the INEC has summarily ‘derecognised’ ADC, the last hope would be the courts, and even that is very precarious. But there’s always the GOD factor, which is always beyond human comprehension and expectation,” he stated.
Momodu also drew parallels with Nigeria’s past political history, suggesting similarities with past attempts to consolidate political power.
“The ultimate aim of Tinubu and his acolytes is to produce a sole candidate in the 2027 Presidential election… The last time such a brazen attempt was made was during the Abacha era, 1993–1998,” he said.
