Atiku Accuses INEC of Supporting Tinubu’s Agenda Against ADC
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of aiding President Bola Tinubu’s agenda to disenfranchise the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and other opposition parties ahead of the 2027 election.
He made the claim in a statement issued on Sunday but did not provide details of the faction’s candidates whose names were submitted to the commission’s portal.
Reacting to the claim, Atiku, through his Media Adviser Paul Ibe, said it is unconstitutional and unlawful for INEC to grant an access code to the Gombe ADC faction.
Atiku added that the electoral commission is showing partisanship, noting that it has already validated the chairmanship of the ADC faction led by former Senate President David Mark.
The statement reads: “On 11 July 2026, Nafiu Bala Gombe, who parades himself as National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), issued a statement that he has succeeded in uploading the names of his candidates on the portal of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).”
“The uploading of the names of candidates on the INEC portal is part of the process for the 2027 General Elections, made possible by the granting of access codes to political parties in line with the umpire’s guidelines.”
“Meanwhile, INEC has been silent, neither denying nor confirming this obvious contradiction to the law and its own guidelines.”
“By granting an access code to Bala Gombe, a pretender laying claim to the chairmanship of the ADC — though the law is not on his side and INEC has since validated the chairmanship of the Sen. David Mark‑led executive — the electoral umpire is once again manifesting its partisanship. This mirrors what the Prof Joash Amupitan‑led INEC did when it illegally removed the names of the duly recognised ADC exco following the judicial rascality of Justice Lifu, who ignored a superior ruling of an appellate court.”
“The so‑called ‘successful’ uploading of ‘candidates’ by Nafiu Bala Gombe is neither grounded in law nor supported by INEC’s own guidelines. Nafiu Bala Gombe is not recognised as ADC Chairman; Mark is duly recognised. Can there be two recognised chairmen of a political party? Possibly only under an INEC led by Amupitan. Can INEC grant two access codes to a single political party? Certainly not.”
“What INEC has done is a recipe for crisis and confirms that Prof Joash Amupitan was appointed to enable the weakening of the opposition parties by creating crisis even where none exists.”
“We wish to remind Prof Joash Amupitan’s INEC that Section 222 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) provides that candidates of a political party must emerge through recognised party primaries supervised by INEC. Section 84 of the Electoral Act, 2022 (as amended) stipulates that political parties must conduct primaries and submit only one validly nominated candidate per elective office to INEC. Nafiu Bala Gombe and his criminal gang did not conduct any primaries.”
“The INEC granting of an access code to Nafiu Bala Gombe is unconstitutional and unlawful. The only submitted candidates known to the law are those of David Mark. Any parallel submission such as Nafiu Bala Gombe’s is null and void.”
“Prof Joash Amupitan should quit fomenting crisis in the ADC and other opposition parties and, by so doing, help President Bola Tinubu’s agenda of total state capture.”
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