The youth wing of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has issued a three-day ultimatum to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), demanding the restoration and recognition of the leadership of David Mark and Rauf Aregbesola or face nationwide mass protest.

ADC National Youth Leader, Balarabe Rufa’i, gave the ultimatum on Monday, April 6, while addressing a press conference at the party’s national headquarters in Abuja. Balarabe also accused INEC of undermining democratic processes and cautioned that failure to obey would lead to several coordinated peaceful protests across the length and breadth of the country.

”There was no dispute. No objection. No ambiguity. So, what changed? Power, pressure, and political interference,” he stated.

”Let it be stated unequivocally: INEC has no constitutional authority to interpret court orders, he declared and continued. ” That duty belongs strictly to the courts. What INEC has done is not neutral. It is complicity, partisanship, and institutional sabotage.”

Meanwhile, speaking at a press briefing in Abuja on April 2, David Mark opined that party activities, including congresses, would go on as scheduled, insisting that INEC’s action is unlawful.

It suffices to state that on April 1, INEC announced the removal of David Mark, Rauf Aregbesola, and other prominent figures of the African Democratic Congress from its records.

The Independent National Electoral Commission, through its National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information Committee, Mohammed Haruna, stated that the decision taken follows a court order directing it to maintain the status quo pending the final verdict of the trial court.

The African Democratic Congress has been enmeshed in a protracted leadership crisis since 2025, following the emergence of David Mark ’s-led working committee in July. The dispute grew out of the disagreements over the tenure of the hitherto chairman, Ralph Nwosu, which ended in August 2022.