Court Nullifies ADC Congresses In Atiku’s Adamawa State 6 Days To INEC Deadline
Court Nullifies ADC Congresses In Atiku’s Adamawa State Six Days To INEC Deadline
The ruling, delivered by Justice Isah Ahmed, lays bare a deepening leadership crisis widely linked to Atiku’s inability to steady the party amid spiralling internal conflicts, multiple litigations and a hemorrhaging membership base.
Afresh crisis has rocked the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Adamawa, the home turf of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, as a High Court in Yola nullified the party’s state congresses just six days to a critical deadline set by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The ruling, delivered by Justice Isah Ahmed, lays bare a deepening leadership crisis widely linked to Atiku’s inability to steady the party amid spiralling internal conflicts, multiple litigations and a hemorrhaging membership base.
The court declared the congresses “null and void,” citing blatant violations of Section 84(4) of the Electoral Act and Article 18 of the ADC Constitution.
The judge slammed party officials for abandoning due process in favour of what he described as “self-imposed procedures,” reinforcing concerns that the ADC has become a theatre of impunity rather than internal democracy.
The lawsuit, filed by state chairman Comrade Shehu Yohanna, exposed the festering divisions within the party. His claims that the congresses defied both legal and constitutional provisions were upheld, delivering a crushing judicial indictment of the party’s leadership structure.
But the courtroom defeat is only part of the crisis.
Insiders say the ADC in Adamawa is collapsing under the weight of legal uncertainty and leadership failure.
More than 80 percent of its members are believed to have defected in recent weeks, fleeing what critics describe as a toxic environment marked by disregard for court orders and persistent factional warfare.
The fallout has been brutal and politically costly.
Former allies of Atiku, including Senator Aishatu Dahiru Ahmed Binani, have walked away, leading a mass defection into the emerging Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC).
Meanwhile, Senator Ishaku Abbo has also exited, aligning with the Labour Party in a further blow to the ADC’s crumbling structure.
What remains of the party in Adamawa is widely seen as a shell, fractured and struggling for relevance in the face of mounting legal setbacks and political desertion.
INEC’s deadline for political parties to submit updated membership registers and leadership lists — typically tied to pre-election compliance timelines — now looms large.
Failure to meet such requirements risks further complications, including potential disqualification from key electoral processes.
While INEC periodically issues specific dates depending on the electoral cycle, such deadlines are binding and strictly enforced, leaving little room for parties entangled in internal disputes.
