The All Progressives Congress (APC) has criticised the David Mark led African Democratic Congress (ADC) for allegedly disregarding court orders by insisting on proceeding with congresses and conventions despite ongoing litigation.
Addressing a news conference in Abuja on Friday, the APC’s National Secretary, Senator Ajibola Basiru, said that ADC’s insistence on proceeding with party congresses despite an ongoing case… raises serious concerns about its respect for legal processes.”
On the call for the removal of Joash Amupitan as INEC Chairman, the APC described the demand as reckless and indicative of a lack of understanding of democratic institutions.
The APC also refuted allegations of conspiracy levelled against it and President Bola Tinubu by the ADC, describing the claims that Tinubu has a role in the leadership crisis rocking the opposition party as baseless, misleading, and a desperate attempt to deflect from internal crises of the ADC.
Basiru explained that the President, by law under the Constitution, has no power to deregister or to meddle in the affairs of any political party or the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Dismissing accusations against the electoral body, the APC maintained that INEC acted in strict compliance with a Court of Appeal ruling.
Basiru explained that the appellate court dismissed the ADC faction’s appeal for being incompetent and ordered parties to maintain the status quo ante bellum pending determination of the substantive case.
Reaffirming its position, the APC urged the ADC faction to address its internal challenges rather than resorting to public accusations, saying “Blaming other parties will not fix their internal crisis… No amount of external finger-pointing can resolve their lingering leadership issues”.
