Political activist, Aisha Yesufu has condemned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) decision to derecognize the leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Speaking during an appearance on Arise Television, she expressed shock that the electoral body could carry out what she termed an illegal act.
She argued that that the Commission is not a court of law and does not have the authority to delist a party.
Yesufu said, “For me, I couldn’t believe how audacious INEC was in doing something that is so illegal or should I say illegitimate. Because in delisting, when did INEC become a court that gives its own judgment? That shocked me. It wasn’t even in any way trying to hide things or work in a way that people don’t see how glaring it is that they’re doing something that is wrong. The audacity to do something that is so wrong in such a brazen manner honestly is something that really surprised me. I didn’t know they would go down that low, but it seems that’s what they’ve done.
“There’s nothing in the Court of Appeal judgment that said delist the leadership or remove the leadership. And if you’re talking about going back to the status quo ante, there was never a time that ADC did not have leadership. So on what basis did INEC do what it did? Does INEC now just interpret court judgments the way it wants to and not the way the court has written them?”
Yesufu insisted there is no legitimate “divide” regarding the court’s judgment, arguing that the ADC has always had leadership and INEC has no authority to override or reinterpret court ruling.
“No, there’s no side of the divide. The judgment is clear. It says go back to a certain position before the war. At that position before the war, was there leadership in ADC or not? Is there any time in the history of ADC that it didn’t have any leadership? I don’t think there was. So on what basis did INEC come out to do what it wants to do? INEC does not have the right to have a position,” she noted.
