Youths of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) yesterday staged a protest at the Lagos office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Yaba.

The demonstrators demanded the resignation of Prof. Joash Amupitan, the chairman of the commission.

The protesters displayed placards bearing inscriptions such as ‘ADC is not for sale’, ‘Amupitan is already compromised’ and ‘Democracy is dialogue, not monologue.’

Adeola Olusi, the party’s national deputy youth leader, led the protest amid the presence of security operatives.

Balarabe Rufai, the party’s national youth leader, yesterday announced in a post on X that youths would protest in Lagos and Ogun, with the demonstrations tagged ‘Operation occupy INEC.’

The protest was scheduled to commence at 8am at Yaba College of Technology (YabaTech) in Lagos.

“Lagos ADC Youth Wing has taken a firm and peaceful stand, occupying INEC to deliver a clear message: the rule of law must be respected, due process must be upheld, Amupitan must resign immediately, and the Senator David Mark-led leadership must be restored without delay,” he wrote.

On April 8, key opposition figures in the ADC, including Atiku Abubakar; David Mark, the party’s national chairman; and Rotimi Amaechi, former minister of transportation, staged a similar protest tagged ‘Occupy INEC’ in Abuja.

Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 election; Rauf Aregbesola, ADC national secretary; Rabiu Kwankwaso, former governor of Kano; and Dino Melaye, former Kogi senator, were also among the protesters.

The protests follow INEC’s derecognition of ADC factions on April 1, citing a March 12 court of appeal judgment ordering the maintenance of the status quo in the party’s leadership crisis.

The ADC has, however, dismissed reports claiming it was in talks with Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) ahead of a pending court judgment.

The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, in a statement issued in Abuja, yesterday described the claims as false.

Abdullahi stated that the coalition leadership was not engaged in any form of discussion or negotiation with any political party at the moment.

He emphasised that the party remained focused on challenging what it described as illegal actions taken against its leadership by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and other groups.

Abdullahi expressed ADC’s commitment to ensuring that those actions were upturned by the court.

“We believe that this is the only path to safeguarding the rule of law and ensuring that multiparty democracy survives in Nigeria,” he said.

The party’s spokesperson added that while ADC remained open to opposition alliances, it would not abandon its responsibilities or deviate from its commitment to democratic restoration.

“Therefore, any suggestion that we are considering abandoning the ADC is preemptive and speculative, and should be ignored,” he added.

Abdullahi, however, expressed confidence in the judiciary, urging the courts to resist any pressure to be complicit in undermining the country’s democracy.

I was tricked – Gombe

Meanwhile, self-acclaimed factional national chairman of ADC, Nafiu Bala Gombe, has alleged that Ralph Nwosu, former national chairman of the ADC, deceived him into attending the adoption ceremony of the party by the coalition.

He said he was unaware that Nwosu had planned to appoint David Mark, former senate president, and Rauf Aregbesola, former Osun state governor, as the party’s chairman and national secretary, respectively.

Gombe said he attended the ceremony because they had planned to announce the adoption of ADC by the coalition for the 2027 general election before the twist.

“The day the coalition said that they wanted to adopt ADC as a party, and announced it to the world… Ralph Nwosu announced his resignation and announced that David Mark and Rauf Aregbesola had been appointed as the chairman and national secretary of the ADC on the same day. I was surprised because that was not what took me there.

“They only came to introduce themselves and adopt ADC as a party for the 2027 general election.”

Bala noted that after the incident, he notified and organised a meeting with the national working committee (NWC) and the national executive council (NEC) of the party before seeking redress in court.

“One week later, I met with the national working committee across the country for consultation before taking action,” he said.

“After the consultation, I wrote to INEC as the deputy national chairman, acting as the chairman of the party. After the consultation, I went to court.”

ADC has been embroiled in internal disputes with Bala and the David Mark-led faction both claiming the party’s leadership.

Bala rejected reports that he resigned his position as deputy national chairman of the ADC, alleging that his signature was forged.

He has also asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise him as national chairman of the ADC. (The Sun, excluding headline)