Defiant Political Parties Risk INEC Sanctions As Commission Vows not to Repeat Zamfara, Plateau Mistakes
Joash Amupitan, chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has said the commission will not take any action that could violate a court order in the ongoing leadership dispute within the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Amupitan made this known during an interview on Arise TV on Thursday while addressing the crisis involving factions led by David Mark and Nafiu Bala.
On Wednesday, INEC announced it would no longer recognise either faction of the ADC after reviewing a judgment of the court of appeal. However, the party’s national publicity secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said on Thursday that the ADC would proceed with its congresses and convention despite INEC’s position.
Amupitan explained that INEC is directly involved in the legal dispute, having been joined as a defendant in the case.
“As far as we are concerned, INEC is a party to the case, having been sued by a member of the ADC,” he said.
He noted that the court of appeal issued a clear directive restraining all parties from taking actions that could pre-empt the decision of the trial court.
“The court made it clear that all parties, including David Mark, must refrain from doing anything that would create a situation of fait accompli for the court,” Amupitan said.
According to him, INEC’s decision was strictly based on this directive.
“We did not act arbitrarily. There was a clear court order instructing parties not to take steps that could render ongoing proceedings nugatory,” he added.
Amupitan said it is the responsibility of the parties involved to determine whether their planned activities, such as congresses and conventions, comply with the court’s directive.
“If they choose to proceed, they must consider whether such actions contravene the court order,” he said.
He warned that ignoring court orders could have serious legal consequences, especially as a motion related to the matter is still pending before the court.
The INEC chairman stressed that the commission is determined to avoid a repeat of past electoral crises, particularly in Zamfara and Plateau states.
“We have seen this happen before, and we want to avoid conducting elections under such uncertain conditions,” he said.
He explained that failure to comply with legal requirements could lead to elections being nullified after they are conducted.
“In some cases, candidates who initially win elections may lose their mandates, and those with the second-highest votes could be declared winners,” he noted.
Citing Plateau State as an example, Amupitan recalled how failure to comply with court orders regarding party primaries led to serious consequences.
“The court directed that proper primaries be conducted, but that directive was not followed. Such disobedience always has consequences,” he said.
Amupitan reiterated that INEC will not take any step that could interfere with a matter currently before the court.
“For instance, if we proceed to monitor their convention, it would amount to taking actions that could affect the subject matter before the court,” he said.
He emphasised that the commission remains committed to upholding the rule of law and ensuring that its actions do not undermine judicial processes.