The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it is yet to receive the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the Federal High Court judgement which sacked the David Mark leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and nullified the nomination of candidates produced via its primaries.
Following the judgement, reports started circulating on social media that INEC had removed the name of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, ADC Presidential Candidate, and his running mate, Rotimi Amaechi, from its portal.
But Malam Mohammed Kudu Haruna, INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee (IVEC), said the commission had yet to receive a copy of the judgment and had not discussed the matter.
A check on the commission’s portal by our reporter on Friday, however, showed that the names were still listed, contrary to the claims circulating online.
Haruna questioned the source of the information, insisting that the commission had not received the court judgment.
“I don’t know where that statement came from. Somebody just forwarded it to me. We haven’t received the judgment yet,” he told Daily Trust.
He explained that obtaining CTC of a court judgment takes time, adding that the commission could not be expected to act on a judgment it had not officially received.
“Usually, it takes about a week for you to get a CTC of the tribunal,” Haruna said.
He further indicated that the commission had not met to deliberate on the judgment, stressing that its position remained guided by the existing judicial process.
The clarification comes a day after Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja nullified the leadership of the ADC led by former Senate President David Mark and invalidated the party’s actions, including the process that produced Atiku as its presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections.
The judgment followed a suit instituted by a former ADC Deputy National Chairman, North-East, Nafiu Bala Gombe, who challenged the emergence of the Mark-led leadership.
The court held that the process through which the leadership emerged did not satisfy the requirements for democratic elections under the relevant provisions of the Electoral Act.
It consequently nullified the actions taken by the disputed leadership, including the nomination of candidates presented by the party to INEC for the 2027 elections.
The ruling has generated political reactions, with the ADC rejecting the judgment and describing it as legally indefensible.
The party has also indicated its intention to challenge the decision in court.
Atiku has equally rejected the ruling, vowing to appeal and insisting that his presidential campaign would continue.
