Your Problems Are Self-inflicted, APC Tells ADC

National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives (APC), has dismissed as baseless, the allegations by the opposition coalition African Democratic Congress(ADC) that President Bola Tinubu and the ruling party were weakening opposition to achieve one-party state.

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The National Chairman of ADC, Senator David Mark, had at a world press conference in Abuja on Thursday, alleged that Tinubu and his party, the APC were weakening opposition in their favour ahead of the 2027 general.

Mark who rejected Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) de-recognition of his leadership as ADC National Chairman, Rauf Aregbesola as National Secretary among others, demanded the immediate resignation or sack of the Chairman of the Commission, Professor Joash Amupitan and all the National Commissioners.

But at a press conference in Abuja on Friday, the APC NWC said, as at today, there are 19 registered political parties in Nigeria with potential to compete in the 2027 election and President Tinubu has no power to deregister any political party.

The NWC at the press conference addressed jointly by the APC National Secretary, Senator Surajudeen Ajibola Basiru and National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, said both President Tinubu and the party have no hand in the self-inflicted woes of the Mark-led ADC.

Basiru told Nigerians that the present predicament of Mark and his ilk has to do with the untidy way they hijacked the leadership of an existing political party without carrying along all stakeholders resulting in court litigation before the Federal Hight Court and the adverse judgment of the Court of Appeal.

He said it was upon this basis that INEC predicated its decision not to recognise any of the two contending parties for the leadership of ADC pending the determination of the pending suit by the court.

“The ADC went to the Court of Appeal over an internal leadership dispute that was still ongoing at trial court, and in doing so, made a fundamental legal mistake. The appellate court found that the lower court had not granted injunctive reliefs sought but merely asked the defendants to show cause why the others sought should not be granted implicating that Senator David Mark’s faction appeal was built its appeal on a faulty premise.

“Worse still, the key issue of jurisdiction was still pending at the trial court, making the appeal premature, and they failed to obtain the required leave for an interlocutory appeal, an error serious enough to render the entire case incompetent.

“The appeal was therefore completely dismissed. with the court ordering all parties to maintain the status quo and avoid any actions that could disrupt the ongoing case, effectively portraying ADC as acting hastily, procedurally flawed, and in disregard of due legal process.

“For the avoidance of doubts, in dismissing an appeal filed by David Mark, the Court of Appeal ordered thus: that Suit No. FCT/ABJ/CS/1819/2025, be and is hereby granted accelerated hearing in view of the Electoral Time-Table released by the 4th Respondent.

“That the parties are hereby directed to maintain the status quo ante bellum and shall refrain from taking any step or doing any act capable of foisting a fait accompli on the court or otherwise rendering nugatory the proceedings before the trial court,”Basiru noted.

He said it is these orders of the court that are being put into effect by INEC and APC is “at loss the basis for the allegation that President Tinubu is weakening opposition in the circumstance.”

The APC National Secretary explained that Mark approached the Court of Appeal, and his “appeal was dismissed as unmeritorious status quo was ordered to be maintained and cost awarded against him.”

He queried that in the circumstance, where does President Tinubu featured in their predicament, if not outright fallacious and malicious propaganda.

The former lawmaker said the Mark ‘factional ADC’ leadership appears to be indulging in self-delusion by positioning themselves as the leading opposition, when their recent electoral outings clearly suggest otherwise.

“You cannot lay claim to national relevance while your performance at the polls remains abysmal and unconvincing. Since the inception of their so- called coalition, they have been roundly rejected at the polls by Nigerians, including during the recently held Local Government Area Council election held in the Federal Capital Territory.

“Leadership of the opposition is not declared through press conferences or rhetoric; it is earned through consistent electoral credibility and public trust, both of which they have struggled to demonstrate,” he said.

Basiru declared that President Tinubu and indeed APC cannot be bothered about the contraption of electoral unviability being bandied as a “coalition”.

He reiterated that the ADC orders being implemented by INEC was as a consequence iof the dismissal of an appeal filed by Mark and his faction at the Court of Appeal, where the decision did not go in their favour but rather the Court of Appeal upheld the position of the respondent.

“If Senator Mark and his factional ADC leadership believe INEC’s interpretation is flawed, they ought to know the proper channel to seek redress—the courts. INEC, on its part, has categorically stated that it is acting in line with maintaining the status quo ante bellum as directed by the Court of Appeal.

“The public defiant posture of Senator Mark and his factional ADC leadership against orders of the Court of Appeal and its implementation by INEC not only amounts to self-help but recklessness and a clear display of irresponsibility.

“More concerning is their posture toward the Independent National Electoral Commission and the rule of law. Insisting on proceeding with party congresses despite an ongoing case at the Federal High Court challenging their leadership, raises serious questions about their respect for legal processes.

“Such defiance signals a troubling disregard for institutions and due process, undermining any claim to democratic responsibility.Their call for the sack of the INEC Chairman and other INEC Commissioners further exposes a lack of seriousness and understanding of leadership processes of established institutions.

“As experienced politicians and former public office holders, they ought to know the constitutional process governing appointments and tenure within INEC, and that decisions are taken by the commission, not the Chairman alone,” he added.

According to the APC Scribe, it is preposterous that these “undemocratic” elements have the audacity to call for the removal of not only the INEC Chairman but the entire National Commissioners!

He called reminded Nigerians that the sacked Mark’s leadership of the ADC has insisted on proceeding with its scheduled activities including congresses and convention despite an ongoing case at the Federal High Court challenging their leadership and in defiance of the subsisting judgment.

The ruling party’s national secretary said, this again raised serious questions about ADC’s respect for legal processes and the rule of Law.

He said: “it is settled law that court decisions are binding on all parties until set aside by a competent court. The avowed refusal by Senator Mark and his co-travellers to comply with court decisions demonstrates a troubling disregard for the rule of law and democratic responsibility.

“Making those bold assertions of defiance to judicial processes and institutional decisions, despite the clear legal implications that all parties must maintain the status quo to avoid avoid foisting fait acompli in the the ongoing proceedings at the trial court showed clear desperations and absence of democratic and rule of law credentials by the Mark and his factional ADC leadership.

“Indeed, their initial resort to interlocutory appeal appears to have been a clumsy, hasty and a flawed procedural attempt to stall proceedings at the trial court, undertaken in disregard of due legal process. The public should therefore be aware that the defiant actions being pursued by the David Mark-led factional leadership of the ADC amount to illegality, and when those actions are eventually declared null and void by the courts, it would be disingenuous to blame President Bola Tinubu and the ruling party for the consequences of their own disregard for the rule of law.

“We hope that they will not come to tell Nigerians that it is the APC or President Bola Tinubu that is weakening democracy when they meet the consequences of their planned illegality!”

Basiru said ADC must also come to terms with a hard truth that blaming other parties will not fix their internal crises.

“No amount of external finger-pointing can erase their consistent failures or resolve their lingering leadership issues. It is wishful thinking to assume that other political parties will step in to rescue them from problems they have repeatedly failed to manage.

“When All Progressives Congress lost all the seats it had won in Zamfara State due to its own unresolved internal crisis, and Peoples Democratic Party became the beneficiary, everyone agreed it was the rule of law taking its course. No outrage, no conspiracy theories, just the consequences of failing to put your house in order,” he added.