The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has strongly denied reports suggesting that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has released a validated list of the party’s state chairmen across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
In a statement posted on Sunday via X (formerly Twitter), ADC National Spokesperson, Bolaji Abdullahi, refuted the circulating report as “fake news,” insisting that INEC has neither officially nor unofficially confirmed such a list.
The statement was issued in response to a report, published by certain media outlets (not including DAILY GAZETTE) that falsely claimed INEC had confirmed ADC’s state chairmen nationwide.
“The Independent National Electoral Commission, to the best of our knowledge and verification, has issued no such confirmation,” Abdullahi stated.
He clarified that INEC only recognizes official party submissions made through the proper channels and only after internal procedures are followed in line with the ADC constitution.
“As of today, no such comprehensive list has been submitted or confirmed by INEC,” he added.
Abdullahi stressed that ratification of state leadership remains an internal affair, handled in accordance with ADC’s rules and processes.
The party also used the opportunity to caution its members and the public to beware of deliberate disinformation aimed at destabilizing the party.
This clarification comes amid ongoing internal disputes within ADC, including a recent leadership tussle involving the recognition of former Senate President David Mark as the party’s national chairman by INEC.
The development has led to a legal challenge, with a court recently summoning both David Mark and ADC’s National Secretary, Rauf Aregbesola, over the leadership crisis.
However, the party dismissed reports of any court injunction preventing INEC from acknowledging the Mark-led faction, calling such claims baseless fabrications driven by “desperate political jobbers.”
Reaffirming its commitment to internal democracy and discipline, the ADC leadership encouraged stakeholders to rely only on verified communication from official party channels.
“We urge our members to remain focused and united as we resolve internal challenges and protect the party’s integrity,” Abdullahi said.
