Nigeria’s ambassador to Mexico, Reno Omokri, has criticised the African Democratic Congress (ADC), describing it as a party made up of frequent defectors and insisting it should take responsibility for its reported deregistration by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
In a statement titled “INEC De-registration: ADC Professional Party Jumpers Have Only Themselves to Blame,” Omokri argued that the crisis facing the party was self-inflicted, particularly by a faction linked to David Mark.
He faulted the group for rejecting INEC’s interpretation of a recent Court of Appeal ruling without clearly presenting their own understanding of the judgment.
“I read the statement from the spokesperson of the David Mark group in the African Democratic Congress who rejected how INEC interpreted the March 12, 2026, Court of Appeal ruling, and I was expecting them to share their own understanding of that judgment.
“But nothing came up, which doesn’t make sense. The David Mark group from the ADC clearly caused this disaster on their own.”
Omokri maintained that if the group intends to challenge the decision, it must respect the legal process and abide by the court’s ruling, warning against attempts to incite public sentiment against electoral authorities.
“If they chose to appeal the decision, the David Mark group should follow the Court of Appeals’ ruling, since they are supposed to obey the law.
“Trying to stir up public anger against INEC and weaken the election authorities is a risky and desperate action by the David Mark group.”
He further criticised what he described as politically motivated alignments within the party, suggesting that such moves contributed to its current challenges.
“You shouldn’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. And sadly, the current difficult situation the ADC is in wasn’t unexpected.
“Their shift into the ADC was driven by business interests rather than by a natural sense of democracy.”
Omokri concluded that rather than blaming INEC or other political actors such as the All Progressives Congress, the party should address its internal issues or consider alternative political platforms, noting the limited time before the next elections.
“They should either fix the problems with what they bought or find a different political party. With elections just ten months away, I don’t think they have enough time to start a new party from scratch.”
