Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has accused the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, of taking actions capable of destabilising opposition parties, alleging that the commission’s handling of the ADC leadership dispute raises concerns about its neutrality ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The allegation was contained in a statement issued on Monday by Atiku’s Media Adviser, Paul Ibe, on behalf of the Atiku Media Office.
According to the former vice president, the controversy followed claims by Nafiu Bala Gombe, who identifies himself as the National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), that he had successfully uploaded the names of the party’s candidates to INEC’s portal.
Atiku explained that uploading candidates’ names forms part of the preparations for the 2027 elections and is carried out through access codes issued by INEC to political parties in line with its electoral guidelines. He questioned why such an access code would allegedly be granted to Gombe despite the commission’s earlier recognition of the Senator David Mark-led national executive of the party.
“By granting access code to Bala Gombe, a pretender, laying claims 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 exco, the electoral umpire is once again manifesting its partisanship,” the statement read.
Atiku further alleged that the commission’s actions could trigger unnecessary conflict within the party and undermine confidence in the electoral process.
He argued that the reported uploading of candidates by Gombe lacked legal backing and was inconsistent with INEC’s own regulations governing party leadership and candidate nominations. According to him, only the leadership headed by Senator David Mark has the legal authority to conduct party primaries and submit candidates for elections.
The former vice president also referenced provisions of Section 222 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and Section 84 of the Electoral Act 2022 (as amended), maintaining that political parties are required to produce candidates through recognised primaries supervised by INEC and submit only one validly nominated candidate for each elective office.
He insisted that any parallel submission outside the recognised party structure would have no legal standing. Atiku therefore called on the electoral commission to avoid actions capable of escalating the ADC leadership dispute or creating instability within opposition parties.
He further urged Prof. Amupitan to remain impartial in the discharge of his constitutional responsibilities, warning that perceived partisanship could undermine public confidence in the electoral process ahead of the 2027 general elections. As of the time of filing this report, INEC had not issued an official response to the allegations.
