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APC behind our woes, ADC cries out as INEC suspends excos over internal crisis

Published

4 months ago

April 2, 2026

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The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has blamed the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the crisis in the party after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ordered the removal of the names of the ADC National Working Committee (NWC) led by Senator David Mark from its official portal.

This is coming as a huge blow to the coalition-backed ADC nine months to the 2027 presidential election and at a time the main opposition to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is witnessing a surge of high-profile defections to its fold, boosting ADC’s chances ahead of the general elections.

Announcing this in a statement on Wednesday, INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information & Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, said after removing the names of David Mark and Rauf Aregbesola from its official portal as National Chairman and National Secretary of the ADC respectively, it would not also recognise Nafiu Bala Gombe, who is seeking to be declared national chairman through the courts, insisting that doing so would prejudice the matter before the court.

The commission said it is suspending all dealings with contending factions of the party, pending the determination of an ongoing suit before the Federal High Court in Abuja and will refrain from monitoring any conventions or congresses organised by groups aligned with the affected leaders.

INEC said its decision follows the Court of Appeal’s ruling in Appeal No. CA/ABJ/145/2026 involving Senator David Mark and Nafiu Bala Gombe, as well as a flurry of conflicting legal communications from both camps over the party’s leadership. INEC said it would maintain the “status quo ante bellum”, the situation as it existed before the suit was filed on September 2, 2025, in line with the appellate court’s preservatory orders aimed at protecting the integrity of the substantive case.

But the ADC, in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, has rejected INEC’s interpretation of the Court of Appeal ruling, alleging that the electoral body acted under pressure from a government panicked by the opposition momentum despite its efforts to destroy all opposition parties and foist a one-party rule on Nigeria.

The party described INEC’s position as contradictory and inconsistent with facts, insisting that it would publicly clarify these issues, while warning that the commission has effectively sided with the government against Nigerians.

ADC said it is currently reviewing its options and will announce its next steps soon, urging its members and the public to remain steadfast as events unfold.

The statement said: “We reject INEC’s interpretation of the Court of Appeal ruling. We knew that INEC was being pressured by a government that had become jittery from the ADC’s rising momentum even in the face of its relentless assault on all opposition parties.

“INEC’s press statement is full of contradictions that fly in the face of both facts and reason. We shall clarify these contradictions for all to see. What is clear, however, is that INEC has caved to pressure and has chosen to side with the government against the Nigerian people. We are currently reviewing our options, and we shall make these known soon.”

The ADC crisis stems from a leadership tussle within the party following the resignation of the party’s former National Chairman, Ralph Okey Nwosu, and other executive members in July 2025, which paved the way for the emergence of a new NWC led by Mark.

However, Gombe, who served as Vice National Chairman, challenged the development, arguing that he never resigned and should automatically assume leadership of the party in line with its constitution. He subsequently approached the Federal High Court seeking, among others, an order restraining INEC from recognising Mark’s leadership and directing INEC to acknowledge him as acting chairman.

While the matter was pending, Mark’s camp filed an interlocutory appeal challenging the jurisdiction of the trial court. But in its March 12, 2026, judgment, the Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal and ordered parties to maintain the status quo ante bellum, warning against actions that could undermine the pending proceedings. The appellate court also directed an accelerated hearing of the substantive suit, citing the proximity of the 2027 general election timetable.

INEC disclosed that it received separate letters dated March 16, 2026, from lawyers representing both factions. While the law firm of Suleiman Usman (SAN) urged the commission not to recognise Gombe as acting chairman due to the pending suit, Summit Law Chambers, representing Gombe, demanded enforcement of the Court of Appeal judgment.

The commission, however, reaffirmed its commitment to neutrality, impartiality, and adherence to the rule of law, urging political actors to avoid actions that can undermine the electoral process.

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EFCC says it froze Osun account over ‘fraudulent handling’ of N11bn ecological, intervention funds

Published

2 hours ago

August 5, 2026

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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has explained that it froze the bank account of the Osun state government over alleged fraudulent handling of N11 billion ecological and intervention funds.

The anti-graft agency, in a statement on Wednesday, said it has been investigating the Osun state government since March regarding the alleged mishandling of the funds.

According to the agency, some officials of the state government, including the accountant-general of the state, had been interviewed by EFCC investigators.

The agency said amid the probe, it observed that huge transfers of funds were being made from the account into different corporate entities since August 2.

“These ongoing investigations of the state government would not have warranted any placement of Post No Debit order on its account but for the precipitate and unwarranted movement of funds from the accounts to different suspicious accounts since August 2, 2026,” the statement reads.

“The Commission noticed huge transfers of funds into different corporate entities and had to swiftly halt the trend by freezing the accounts from which such heavy funds are being moved.

“The EFCC’s preventive mandate is a public-inclined framework of safeguarding public funds, assets and resources.

“The Commission cannot watch idly while a state government’s account is being pillaged.”

The anti-graft agency said it is aware of the forthcoming Osun governorship election, adding that it is “uncharitable” to overlook the huge transfers of funds over the “excuse of an upcoming election”.

“The Osun State government account was frozen to save public funds from being looted,” the agency said.

In a letter dated August 5, 2026, and signed by Adenike Babalola, assistant commander of the EFCC on behalf of the director of investigation, the anti-graft agency directed First Bank not to allow withdrawals from the Osun state government’s statutory allocation account as part of an ongoing investigation.

The agency instructed the bank to place a post-no-debit restriction on the account pending the conclusion of the probe.

Reacting to the development, Ademola Adeleke, Osun governor, said the state government will not accept a situation in which federal government agencies trample upon the rights of subnational governments.

Adeleke said the Osun government has been witnessing numerous sponsored attacks, including the harassment of Accord party members and the move to stall the operations of LGAs in the state.

Adeleke said he has directed the attorney-general of the state to challenge the “illegality”.

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Osun threatens lawsuit as EFCC freezes govt account 10 days to election

Published

8 hours ago

August 5, 2026

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Less than 24 hours after Governor Ademola Adeleke alleged that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was planning to freeze the state government account domiciled with First Bank, the anti-graft agency has reportedly freezed the account, according to Vanguard.

The account, reportedly used for the payment of workers’ salaries, was placed on “Post No Debit” status by the anti-graft agency.

The development came hours after Governor Ademola Adeleke raised the alarm that the EFCC was planning to freeze the state government’s accounts and those of top government officials ahead of the August 15 governorship election.

In a statement issued earlier on Wednesday by the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, Adeleke described the alleged move as an attempt to cripple government activities before the poll.

The governor had insisted that there was no legal basis for freezing the accounts of a state government, arguing that the EFCC lacked the statutory powers to take such action.

However, a source reportedly told Vanguard that the account had already been restricted.

“I can confirm that the state government account has been frozen by the EFCC. It is no longer an allegation. The governor will address the press shortly to update the public on the situation,” the source reportedly told Vanguard.

The reason for the restriction was not immediately known as of the time of filing this report.

The EFCC had yet to issue an official statement on the development.

The development comes as Osun prepares for its August 15 governorship election, with the account restriction expected to generate political reactions ahead of the poll.

Meanwhile, the state’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Oluwole Jimi-Bada, had said he has the mandate of the governor to sue the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for freezing the government accounts.

Jimi-Bada said a ‘Post no debit’ letter from the EFCC was forwarded to the management of the First Bank where Osun government accounts were domiciled on Wednesday.

The commissioner, who expressed readiness to proceed to court, said the move by the anti-graft agency may hamper government’s business, noted that Governor Ademola Adeleke was not using state funds to run its campaign for reelection.

“I have the mandate of the governor to proceed to the Federal High Court to challenge this move. EFCC can investigate the accounts but it can’t freeze the accounts without order of court.

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WAEC releases 2026 WASSCE results, withholds 167,486 candidate’s results over malpractice

Published

11 hours ago

August 5, 2026

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The West African Examinations Council says it is withholding the results of 167,486 candidates, representing 8.59 per cent of those who sat the 2026 Computer-Based West African Senior School Certificate Examination for School candidates, over alleged examination malpractice.

This was disclosed by the Head of WAEC Nigeria National Office, Dr Amos Dangut, who announced the release of the results in Lagos on Wednesday.

The number of withheld reults, however, represents a decline from the 9.7 per cent recorded in 2025.

Dangut said the council withheld the affected results due to various infractions, including the increasing use of mobile phones in examination halls despite the existing ban and organised cheating in some schools.

“The increasing use of cell phones in the examination hall, in spite of the existing ban, and organised cheating in some schools, are other nagging issues,” Dangut said.

He added that some supervisors and invigilators found assisting candidates in malpractice had been arrested and would face disciplinary action through the relevant state ministries of education.

A total of 1,959,668 candidates from 24,207 schools registered for the examination across Nigeria, Benin Republic, Côte d’Ivoire and Equatorial Guinea, while 1,950,726 candidates eventually sat for the examination.

1,200,514 candidates (61.54 per cent) obtained credits and above in at least five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics.

1,687,378 candidates (86.50 per cent) secured credits and above in a minimum of five subjects, with or without English Language and Mathematics.

The number of candidates who obtained credits in five subjects including English and Mathematics dropped by 1.42 percentage points compared with the 2025 examination.

Of the 1.2 million candidates who achieved credits in English and Mathematics:

558,883 (28.65 per cent) were male.

641,631 (32.89 per cent) were female.

Overall, 997,267 females (51.12 per cent) and 953,459 males (48.88 per cent) participated in the examination.

WAEC said 1,834,695 candidates, representing 94.05 per cent, had their results fully processed and released, while the results of 116,031 candidates (5.95 per cent) were still being processed.

The council also disclosed that 1,213 candidates with special needs participated in the examination. They included:

137 visually impaired candidates;

491 candidates with hearing impairment;

55 spastic and mentally challenged candidates; and

41 physically challenged candidates.

The 2026 examination marked the second edition of the Computer-Based WASSCE for School Candidates, following the introduction of the format by WAEC.

Dangut said the council introduced several innovations, including the Digital Examiner Mark System to improve the speed of processing results, serialisation of question papers to curb malpractice, and a new portal that allows candidates to generate e-PINs directly for checking their results.

The examination was conducted between April 24 and June 19, 2026, with 102,708 examiners involved in marking across 88 marking venues.

Dangut, who described the briefing as his third and final engagement as WAEC Nigeria National Office head, said candidates sponsored by states indebted to the council would not have their results released until the outstanding payments were cleared.