The Strategic Alliance for National Development (STAND) issues this urgent call to the Attorney General of the Federation and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately resolve the lingering legal and leadership disputes within the African Democratic Congress (ADC), and every other opposition party’s . Failure to act decisively threatens to disenfranchise millions of patriotic Nigerians and undermines the integrity of our democratic process.
As it stands, the administrative and judicial bottlenecks surrounding the ADC’s internal affairs have created a state of dangerous uncertainty.
STAND is deeply concerned by growing evidence that suggests a coordinated effort—a “triple-threat” conspiracy involving elements of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), the Judiciary, and INEC—to keep the ADC and every other opposition party in a state of perpetual litigation and structural disarray.
“We are witnessing what appears to be a calculated attempt to use legal technicalities to sideline a viable alternative for the Nigerian people,” said Yinka Sotade and Boluwaji Fajuyigbe Ezekiel, Acting National Secretary and Acting Publicity Secretary respectively for STAND. “When the electoral umpire and the chief law officer of the federation remain silent while a major political party is hamstrung by conflicting court orders, it creates a vacuum that only serves the interests of the status quo.”
STAND highlights the following critical concerns:
• The Risk of Mass Disenfranchisement: The ADC and opposition in a multiparty represents the aspirations of millions of youths, professionals, and grassroots voters. Any scenario that prevents any political party from fielding candidates or participating fully in elections is a direct assault on the right of these citizens to choose their leaders.
• Judicial Weaponization: We observe with dismay the conflicting signals coming from the courts, which have stalled the ADC’s ability to function. The Attorney General must ensure that the machinery of justice is not being used as a tool for political exclusion.
• INEC’s Neutrality at Stake: INEC must rise above the fray and provide a clear, lawful roadmap for the ADC and other political opposition party’s rather than allowing any party to be swallowed by administrative silence.
The Strategic Alliance for National Development warns that gross injustice in face of a seemingly tailored justiciable system is a recipe for anarchy,Nigerians will not sit idly by while their democratic options are narrowed through backroom deals and judicial maneuvers. The shadow of the ruling party’s influence over this process is too prominent to ignore, and the silence of the regulatory bodies is becoming a growing and evident complicity.
We demand that the Attorney General and the INEC Chairman convene an immediate stakeholders’ session to clarify the legal standing of the ADC and ensure that no Nigerian voter is robbed of their voice due to engineered internal crises.These should extend to all political parties as soon as possible.
The stability of our nation depends on a fair, inclusive, and transparent electoral landscape. We will continue to monitor this situation closely and will not hesitate to mobilize civil society to protect the sanctity of the ballot.
Signed:
Yinka Sotade, National Secretary
Boluwaji Fajuyigbe Ezekiel, Publicity Secretary
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About Strategic Alliance for National Development (STAND):
STAND is a non-partisan coalition dedicated to the advancement of democratic values, social justice, and the promotion of transparent governance in Nigeria.
