A senior figure within the All Progressives Congress, Attah Ochinke, has strongly criticised the Independent National Electoral Commission over its handling of a court directive relating to the leadership dispute within the African Democratic Congress.
Ochinke, who previously served as Attorney General of Cross River State and once led the Nigerian Bar Association in the state, described INEC’s decision to de-recognise the faction led by David Mark as a legal misstep.
According to him, the court order at the centre of the dispute clearly instructed all involved parties to maintain the status quo pending the final determination of the case. He explained that the legal action had been initiated by a rival faction within the ADC seeking to restrain the Mark-led executive committee from operating.
However, instead of granting that request, the court directed that the existing leadership arrangement should remain unchanged until the matter is resolved.
“In practical terms, maintaining the status quo meant retaining the David Mark-led leadership,” Ochinke argued.
He criticised INEC for what he sees as a flawed interpretation of that directive, stating that the commission’s action effectively stripped the party of its leadership structure.
“You cannot remove an existing leadership and claim to be preserving the status quo when, at no time, the party was without leadership,” he said.
Ochinke also questioned the judgment of INEC’s leadership, particularly pointing to the professional background of its chairman, Joash Amupitan, who is a Professor of Law and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria.
“I am surprised because the INEC chairman is a respected Professor of Law and Senior Advocate of Nigeria. One would expect him to properly interpret such a directive,” he said.
He cautioned that decisions like this could weaken public confidence in the electoral body, reinforcing concerns about its neutrality and credibility.
Looking ahead, Ochinke advised the ADC to return to court to seek clarification of the directive instead of filing an appeal, which he noted could prolong the legal process unnecessarily.
While reaffirming his support for the APC’s electoral success, he dismissed allegations that the ruling party is responsible for internal crises within opposition parties such as the Peoples Democratic Party, ADC, and Labour Party.
“There is no evidence to support such allegations. The actors involved in the crises within the PDP, ADC and Labour Party are all members of those parties,” he said.
