By Deborah Nnamdi
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Joash Amupitan, has cautioned the African Democratic Congress (ADC) against proceeding with its planned congresses and national convention without the commission’s supervision.
Amupitan gave the warning during an interview on Arise TV on Friday, following the party’s insistence on going ahead with its convention despite INEC’s derecognition of a leadership faction linked to David Mark and Rauf Aregbesola.
He explained that INEC’s decision was based on legal considerations, particularly an existing court order restraining actions that could affect ongoing proceedings.
“So if they are going ahead with their congress, with their convention, it’s left for them to look at it, whether it is in contravention of the court. INEC didn’t just make a decision. We didn’t just wake up one day and make this decision. There was something that led to it. There was an order of court,” he said.
Amupitan stressed that the court had directed parties not to take steps that could render pending legal processes ineffective.
“Don’t do anything. Don’t take any step that will render any proceeding before the court nugatory,” he added.
He noted that the conduct of congresses and conventions is already part of a matter before the court, including a motion yet to be determined seeking to halt such activities.
The INEC chairman warned that ignoring court orders could lead to serious consequences, citing past electoral precedents.
He referenced the situation in Zamfara State, where electoral victories were nullified by the courts, leading to candidates with the second-highest votes being declared winners. He also cited a similar development in Plateau State during the last election, attributing the outcomes to non-compliance with judicial directives.
While maintaining that the ADC is free to make its own decisions, Amupitan emphasised that INEC would not risk a repeat of past experiences.
“They are at liberty to do whatever they want to do, but INEC does not want to go into this situation again,” he said.
