Friday Lines (108) With Dr Abubakar Alkali

APPEAL COURT’S RULING IN NAFI’U GOMBE VS DAVID MARK & ORS: INEC AS AN UNDEMOCRATIC KIBITZER INTENT ON DESTROYING NIGERIA’S DEMOCRACY AND WHY PROF JOASH OJO AMUPITAN MUST RESIGN AS INEC CHAIRMAN IMMEDIATELY TO SAVE NIGERIA’S DEMOCRACY

__The Decision by INEC to Delist the David Mark-led NWC of the Opposition ADC is Unconstitutional and Cannot Stand __

__INEC, inspired by Prof Joash Ojo Amupitan, is working in Cahoots With Nigeria’s Extremely Weak Judiciary to Collapse Nigeria’s Democracy Under President Tinubu’s Watch__

__Kill the Opposition and You Have Effectively Killed Democracy __

__Tinubu, Joash Ojo Amupitan and INEC are Plotting a ONE PARTY STATE to Make the APC, the only Political Party in Nigeria Against all Tenets of Constitutional Democracy __

The latest antic in the larger plan by the Tinubu administration to establish a one party state enroute to destroying Nigeria’s hard-earned democracy is that the election umpire INEC, has delisted the David Mark-led leadership or National Working Committee (NWC) of the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC), Nigeria’s only surviving opposition political party.

Today, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officially removed David Mark’s and Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola’s names as chairman and secretary of the ADC respectively from its portal based on its (INEC’S) own understanding and interpretation of the appeal court ruling which says ‘maintain status quo ante bellum’ in the suit instituted by one Nafi’u Gombe asking the court to sack the David Mark-led NWC of the opposition ADC.

Mr Gombe, a former deputy national chairman of the dissolved NWC of the ADC has argued that he is the authentic chairman of the ADC after the former chairman Ralph Nwosu resigned along with the entire ADC NWC to pave way for the emergence of the David Mark-led NWC. Clearly, Mr Gombe had resigned along with the entire Ralph Nwosu-led former NWC of the ADC hence cannot lay claim to being the authentic national chairman of the ADC.

INEC’s decision to delist the David Mark – led NWC is wrong and a sad day for democracy in Nigeria.

By this latest move to officially delist and de-recognise the leadership (NWC) of the ADC, INEC is plotting to ban the ADC from fielding any Presidential and/or other candidates in the 2027 general election on the pretext that the party is factionalised and has no recognized NWC.

The entire drama is predicated on the plan for all political parties to adopt Tinubu as the sole Presidential candidate in the 2027 general elections so that he will run unopposed.

From all indications and realities, INEC Chairman Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan was drafted to do a hatchet job for Tinubu. The enemies of democracy are on tip toes to fast track the collapse of Nigeria’s democracy. Without an opposition, the collapse of Nigeria’s democracy is only a matter of WHEN not IF.

*Prof. Amupitan Must Resign*

To save Nigeria’s democracy, Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan must resign as INEC chairman. There will NEVER be a free and fair election under Prof. Amupitan who has clearly shown that he has taking sides and is implementing a prepared script under a covert agenda.

Interestingly, in his speech at the last APC convention, President Tinubu said he believes in a viable opposition but his actions show otherwise. The President is destroying the entire opposition political parties to create a ONE PARTY STATE in Nigeria. This is a recipe for chaos because the genuine opposition leaders will never leave Tinubu alone.

In fact, the initial plan by INEC was to deregister the ADC entirely on the grounds that the party is ‘factionalised’ but it didn’t scale through so when the appeal court said ‘maintain status quo ante bellum’ INEC didn’t miss the opportunity to delist the David Mark-led NWC. Recall that the APC is alleged to have sponsored the parallel faction led by Nafi’u Gombe to cause confusion and thereafter use the weak judiciary to destabilise the ADC so that the ADC doesn’t field a Presidential candidate to challenge Tinubu in 2027.

The judiciary is complicit in the unfolding drama to destroy the ADC in the sense that when it comes to political party litigations, court judgements are always vague and open to confusion. In fact you get more confused after the court verdict than you were before it. More often than not, the courts tell the political parties to ‘go and sort yourself out’ or ‘this is an internal affair’ so go and put your house in order’ This is what always causes confusion in the political parties. The court should have said maintain status quo ante bellum and included an effective DATE where the status quo should start even if to avoid this confusion.

In a Kibitzer manner. INEC has now interpreted the appeal court judgement which says ‘maintain status quo ante bellum’ in a topsy-turvy upside down manner by delisting the authentic David Mark led-NWC of the opposition ADC.

Maintain status quo ante bellum means ‘revert to the position before hostilities (litigations) broke out.

Clearly, expelled ADC member Nafi’u Gombe launched his legaI action signalling the beginning of hostilities AFTER David Mark was declared the national Chairman of the ADC hence ‘maintain status quo ante bellum’ means the David Mark-led NWC is unaffected by the appeal court ruling. The David Mark-led NWC emerged on 1/7/2025 while Nafi’u Gombe instituted his suit on 2/9/25. This represents a clear 64 DAYS between the emergence of the David Mark-led NWC before the filing of Nafi’u Gombe’s suit. Moreso, Nafi’u Gombe couldn’t have challenged David Mark before the latter emerged as the ADC National chairman.

To this effect, status quo ante vellum means counting from 2/9/25 not before because that was the day the suit was filed and hostilities (litigation) began. All events before 2/9/25 including the swearing-in of David Mark’s NWC are valid and unaffected by the appeal court ruling.

Remember, INEC has previously recognised the David Mark-led NWC and uploaded on its portal, the names of the David Mark-led NWC members on 9/9/2025 a clear one week after Nafi’u Gombe filed his suit against David Mark and the ADC. The question to ask here is ‘why didn’t INEC wait for the court pronouncement before recognizing and uploading the names of the David Mark-led NWC?

To INEC, maintaining status quo ante bellum means erroneously delisting the David Mark-led NWC and stopping the ADC from fielding candidates in the 2027 general elections to achieve a hidden agenda. To delist the David Mark-led NWC as an interpretation of the appeal court ruling in Nafi’u Gombe’s suit is clearly wrong but it was deliberate and we all know why; the aim is to stop the ADC from taking over power in 2027.

To pursue an obvious hidden agenda, INEC chose to turn the appeal court ruling on its head and claim that both the David Mark and Nafi’u Gombe’s factions will not be recognized so as to be seen to be fair but they (INEC) are clever by half. In fact, INEC did the exact bidding of Gombe and his sponsors and the INEC verdict is what Gombe wanted in his prayers before the court. Nafi’u Gombe has gotten all he wanted; delisting of David Mark-led NWC. The appeal court even awarded N2 million ‘fuel money’ to Nafi’u Gombe. His sing song is ‘Please INEC, delist both myself and David Mark to create a vacuum and confusion in the ADC.

Very clearly, the current hostilities in the ADC broke out on 2/9/25 when the suit was filed AFTER the inauguration of the David Mark-led NWC on 1/7/25 so INEC is wrong to read the judgement the other way round – BEFORE the inauguration of the David Mark led NWC. It is part of the grand design to create a ONE PARTY STATE and return Tinubu unopposed in 2027.

**The judiciary is complicit: **

Why can’t the judiciary say which faction of a political party is authentic and which is not? Just why? Yes section 83(5) of the electoral act 2026 (the act) is an impediment but it can be amended. The act states that

‘No court in Nigeria shall entertain jurisdiction over any suit or matter pertaining to the internal affairs of a political party’

It is necessary to amend this relevant section (83(5) of the electoral act 2026 so as to give the judiciary the powers to interfere and deal with suits pertaining to the internal affairs of political parties.

The typical vague judgement by the judiciary ‘it is an internal affair, go and sort yourself out’ has caused all the problems Nigeria faces in party politics. It destroyed the PDP and brought it to what it is today; an outpost of the APC courtesy Wike.

Technically, as it stands today, there is no opposition in Nigeria’s political system and President Tinubu will return unopposed in the 2027 Presidential election. This is a route to anarchy but we will continue to pray for Nigeria.

The PDP is now a glorified outpost and branch of the APC courtesy Nyesom Wike just as top PDP bigwigs like former President Goodluck Jonathan and former Vice President Atku Abubakar watched Wike destroy the party that made them what they are today. It is shocking that Goodluck Jonathan and Atiku Abubakar couldn’t confront Wike to save the PDP.

– The ADC is being systematically destroyed by INEC and the judiciary

– The SDP is on the payroll of the APC

– All other opposition political parties have been dismantled and pocketed by the APC.

Is this democracy? NO

Clearly, the ADC is the only political party that can pose any threat to President Tinubu’s very clear desperation to secure a second term in 2027 at all costs. In fact, all other opposition political parties are now in intensive care unit (ICU) including the comatose PDP.

Take note, as long as Nyesom Wike is calling the shots in Nigeria, our democracy will collapse in due time. The man Wike is clearly a threat to democracy.

Remember in the 2019 general elections in Rivers state when Wike was the governor, the APC was denied its right to field any candidates courtesy of a federal high court ruling which was affirmed by the Supreme Court inspired by Wike.Hence, all primary elections conducted by the APC in 2019 were cancelled by the federal high court sitting in Port Harcourt and presided by Justice Kolawole Omotosho on the pretext that there were factions in the APC namely the Amaechi faction and the Magnus Abe faction. The latter was allegedly sponsored by Wike to create confusion. The Supreme Court upheld the FHC ruling and the then Governor Wike sailed unopposed in the 2019 election after allegedly bribing the other mushroom political parties including the AAC to complete the cycle.

The same template is being used to ensure that Tinubu goes into the 2027 Presidential election unopposed. Wike has done it before so he is the one handling the ‘unopposed 2027 project’ for Tinubu.

Wike’s method is simple; sponsor a faction in the ADC, cause confusion and then go to court and get the judiciary to do your bidding. That’s all. You are home and dry.

Yes, President Tinubu wants to be the only contestant in the 2027 Presidential election by hook and by crook. Notably, this is the same offense that Tinubu accused Late Gen Sani Abacha of perpetrating in 1998. Now he (Tinubu) is doing the exact same thing.

Time shall tell what happens after 2027.