The South-South Youth Council has called on the African Democratic Congress (ADC) to desist from attacking the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), describing the party’s current predicament as a self-inflicted legal crisis.
Reacting to INEC’s recent position, the Council in a statement by Comrade Isreal Boma noted that the Commission, under the leadership of Amupitan acted within the confines of the law when it announced that it would remove David Mark and Rauf Aregbesola from its official portal as National Chairman and National Secretary of the ADC, respectively.
The commission also said it would not recognise Nafiu Bala Gombe, who is seeking to be declared national chairman through the courts.
This decision, according to INEC, followed its review of the Court of Appeal judgment delivered on March 12.
The Council emphasized that INEC is a neutral regulatory body mandated to uphold the rule of law and ensure due process in Nigeria’s electoral system. It warned that attempts by aggrieved factions within the African Democratic Congress (ADC) to drag the Commission into their internal disputes amount to a misplacement of blame.
“The crisis within the ADC is purely internal and legal in nature. It is both unfair and irresponsible to direct attacks at INEC for enforcing a court-backed position,” the Council stated.
The group further urged the warring factions within the party to seek lawful and peaceful means of resolving their differences rather than resorting to public confrontations and unwarranted criticisms of constitutional institutions.
