The Senator representing Anambra Central, Victor Umeh, has accused the chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Joash Amupitan of deliberately sabotaging the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Umeh spoke to journalists on Thursday in Awka after a preparatory meeting for the party’s congress in the state.
He said it was surprising that the chairman of an electoral body, who is not just a lawyer, but a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and a law professor, claimed not to know that internal party matters cannot be adjudicated on by courts.
Umeh said: “Well, the controversy over the party (ADC) leadership is very simple and straightforward. We are talking about the court making an order in the leadership of African Democratic Congress, and people are busy discussing the order made by the court, which INEC, headed by a professor of law and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, feigned ignorance that no court in Nigeria has jurisdiction to entertain any matter bordering on internal affairs of a political party or leadership of a political party.
“The Supreme Court has delivered judgment a number of times in the past on this, the oldest was in 1983. The Supreme Court said it that courts do not answer political questions. Issues concerning internal affairs of political party is not justiciable. In other words, you can’t bring to court such issues since 1983.
“Then last year, for example, the Supreme Court in the case in the appeal brought by Senator Nenadi Usman against Julius Abure and the Labour Party, emphasized again that court has no jurisdiction to determine the leadership of a political party, or to get into any disputes involving internal affairs of a party or leadership of a political party. That was delivered on the 4th of April, 2025.
“Then this year, we, the National Assembly amended the Electoral Act, and in Section 83, subsection 5 of the Electoral Act 2026, as amended, the provision says that no court in Nigeria shall entertain jurisdiction to hear any matter or suit concerning internal affairs of a political party. Is there any ambiguity in this?
“So whether the Federal High Court of Justice Nwite made any order or raised any issue, it cannot stand. And the Court of Appeal that made the damning order that INEC wants to rely on, to say now, ‘oh, the order is that we should return to status quo and nobody should do anything’, that will render the trial court proceedings nugatory.
“The same Court of Appeal has no jurisdiction, because the matter in dispute is who are the leaders of ADC. Is it David Mark and Rauf Aregbesola, or Nafiu Bala Gombe?
“So the Federal High Court has no jurisdiction, the Court of Appeal has no jurisdiction, even Supreme Court has no jurisdiction by this explanation. So they now made that order and INEC lapped on it to begin to say that there are issues in.
“That is murder. What they committed is murder and is unacceptable. They cannot do that. Nigeria is a country that is governed by laws, and the instances I have given you now show you clearly that the two courts have no reason to meddle into this matter, and INEC that is acting on it is mischievous.
“INEC is headed by a professor of law and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria. He knows that the two courts have no jurisdiction to entertain the matter. So why is he acting on it? And in acting on it, he acted on it wrongly.”
