INEC to ADC: Cease All Congresses or Risk ‘Zamfara Treatment’

ABUJA – The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, has issued a final, blistering warning to the African Democratic Congress (ADC): halt all planned congresses and national conventions or face a total wipeout at the 2027 polls.

​Invoking the “ghost of Zamfara,” where the Supreme Court famously nullified all APC votes in 2019 due to internal party irregularities, Amupitan cautioned that any activity conducted by the ADC while under a subsisting court order is an “exercise in futility.”

​The warning follows the stubborn insistence of the David Mark-led faction to proceed with its 2027 electoral timetable, despite the Commission’s recent decision to withdraw recognition of his leadership.

​”We Will Not Monitor Illegality”

​Speaking during a live broadcast on Arise News, Prof. Amupitan made it clear that INEC would not lend its constitutional presence to the party’s upcoming meetings. Without INEC’s mandatory monitoring, any leadership produced or candidate nominated would be legally “dead on arrival.”

​”If they decide to go ahead, let me tell you what happened in Zamfara,” Amupitan stated. “At the end of the day, after you have won, the court will declare the election invalid. The implication is that the person with the second-highest number of votes will be declared the winner. It has happened in Zamfara, and it has happened in Plateau.”

​The Chairman stressed that the Commission is strictly adhering to a Court of Appeal order to maintain the status quo. “If I proceed to monitor their convention, I am taking steps that will affect the subject matter pending before the court. INEC will not be a party to such a breach.”

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​A Party Divided

​The ADC is currently embroiled in a high-stakes leadership tussle between the David Mark-led faction and a group led by Nafiu Bala Gombe.

​On Wednesday, INEC Commissioner for Information and Voter Education, Mohammed Kudu, confirmed that the Commission had formally halted all engagements with both factions. This includes a refusal to accept correspondence or recognize the revised timetable of activities submitted by Mark’s group on March 28.

​The Looming 2027 Crisis

​Political analysts suggest that the ADC’s internal implosion couldn’t have come at a worse time. With high-profile figures like Rabiu Kwankwaso recently linked to the party, the leadership vacuum threatens to derail the momentum of what was becoming a formidable third force.

​By drawing a hard line, Prof. Amupitan signaled that the “new INEC” under his leadership—which successfully conducted the Anambra off-cycle election in late 2025—will prioritize judicial compliance over political convenience.

​”Our concern is the integrity of the 2027 General Election,” Amupitan concluded. “We urge all parties to act in ways that do not jeopardize the electoral timetable. Failure to obey court orders has consequences, and we will not shield any party from those repercussions.”