Kogi ADC caught in crossfire as party splits over INEC congress suspension

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) crisis deepened on Wednesday as the Kogi State chapter found itself at the centre of a widening rift within the party, with members sharply divided over whether to comply with the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) directive suspending party congresses or defy it as unconstitutional.

The Kogi ADC chapter, under State Chairman Kingsley Temitope Ogga, has been caught between two opposing positions that reflect the fractures tearing through the party nationally. In an earlier statement signed by Ogga and made available to journalists in Lokoja, the Kogi chapter announced the immediate suspension of all previously scheduled ward, Local Government Area, and state congresses, declaring full compliance with INEC’s directive. “As a law-abiding political party, the ADC Kogi State Chapter fully aligns with the INEC directive. We reaffirm our unwavering respect for INEC as the constitutionally mandated regulatory authority for political parties,” the statement read.

However, that position was subsequently contradicted when a faction of ADC state chairmen with Ogga himself listed as chairman of a newly constituted interim National Executive Committee, aligned with a bloc that rejected the David Mark-led national leadership and backed INEC’s actions. At a press briefing in Abuja, 24 state chairmen and representatives announced that they had assumed control of the party following what they described as a leadership vacuum created by INEC’s suspension of the Mark-led National Working Committee (NWC).

At the heart of the controversy is INEC’s decision to remove the names of former Senate President David Mark and former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola from its official portal as ADC National Chairman and National Secretary respectively. INEC said its decision followed a Court of Appeal ruling in Suit No. CA/ABJ/145/2026, directing all parties to maintain the status quo pending the determination of a substantive case before the Federal High Court in Abuja.

The David Mark-led national leadership has robustly rejected this position. In a statement, the ADC declared that INEC had made a “wilful distortion” of the Court of Appeal’s directive, arguing the commission had overstepped its supervisory role. “The ADC reiterates that its right to organise congresses and hold its national convention is constitutionally guaranteed and has not been lawfully suspended by any court,” the party said.

The party further argued that INEC’s interpretation of the court order was “selective and legally flawed,” stating that a preservation order is intended to prevent irreversible changes to the subject matter of litigation, not to paralyse the internal functioning of a political party. It also insisted that INEC, as an administrative body, lacked the power to define or determine what the court’s status quo ruling meant.

Defying INEC, the ADC national leadership announced a congress schedule running from April 7 to 14, 2026, beginning with the screening of aspirants and concluding with a national convention.

The Kogi situation mirrors divisions playing out in other states. In Katsina, State Chairman Lawal Tukur-Batagarawa confirmed that all scheduled congresses and the national convention would proceed as planned, accusing INEC of creating “mischief and doubt” by misinterpreting the court ruling.

In Sokoto, State Chairman Alhaji Bello Isiyaku-Kigan described INEC’s action as a misinterpretation of the court ruling and a “troubling step that could undermine democracy,” calling on the commission to maintain strict neutrality and allow the courts to resolve the matter.

INEC has not backed down from its position. Chairman Prof. Joash Amupitan warned the party against proceeding with congresses without the commission’s supervision, cautioning that any action taken in defiance of the court order could attract “grave legal consequences.” He pointed to precedents in Zamfara and Plateau states, where failure to comply with court orders led to the nullification of electoral victories.

According to INEC’s electoral timetable, political parties are to conduct their primaries between April 23 and May 30, 2026, meaning the ADC’s failure to resolve its leadership crisis could leave it unable to field candidates effectively handing the ruling APC a weakened opposition ahead of the 2027 general elections.

With court proceedings ongoing, the legal, political, and electoral stakes of the ADC’s internal crisis continue to mount and the Kogi chapter’s divided stance is emblematic of a party struggling to maintain unity at a critical moment in Nigeria’s democratic calendar.