The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has stated that it will hold off on taking any action regarding the Federal High Court judgment that nullified the leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) until it obtains a Certified True Copy (CTC) of the ruling.
INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, disclosed this on Wednesday during a webinar organised by the PUNCH Media Foundation, noting that the electoral body must carefully study the judgment and seek internal legal advice before determining its next steps.
Delivered on November 5 by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja, the judgment nullified the emergence of the Senator David Mark-led ADC leadership and invalidated all decisions taken under it—including the primary process that produced former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar as the party’s 2027 presidential candidate.
The ruling followed a suit instituted by a former Deputy National Chairman of the party, Nafiu Bala Gombe, challenging the legitimacy of the Mark-led executive. In response, the ADC has rejected the verdict, lodged an appeal, and filed for a stay of execution, urging INEC to maintain the status quo pending the determination of the appeal.
Explaining INEC’s procedural approach, Haruna noted that while the commission has already initiated moves to secure the court document, it cannot force the judiciary to expedite its administrative processes.
‘We can’t rush the courts, but we do our own part. We have a whole legal department. As soon as judgments like this come, what they do, of course, is to go to the courts, to go to the court register, to see if they can obtain it. But they have their own processes,’ Haruna said.
He pointed out that obtaining a certified copy typically takes about a week and stressed that since the ruling was delivered late last week, the commission’s hands remain tied until the official text arrives.
‘So, as soon as we get it, we run a committee system. The department which is in charge of litigation will look into it, then they will advise. There is a committee which is chaired by a national commissioner. They, in turn, will advise the Commission itself, and then the Commission will take a decision on exactly what to do,’ he explained.
‘For now, until we receive that certified true copy, there’s really nothing that we can do about it,’ Haruna added.
