The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced that it will no longer accept correspondences from either faction of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) led by David Mark or Rafiu Bala.

The commission also said it would suspend all engagements with both groups, including monitoring of meetings, congresses, and conventions, pending the resolution of the matter before the Federal High Court.

This was disclosed in a statement signed by the Chairman of Information and Voter Education, Mohammed Kudu, following a review of the Court of Appeal judgment delivered on March 12, 2026.

INEC further stated that it would remove the name of David Mark from its official portal as part of measures taken in response to the ongoing leadership dispute within the party.

The crisis stems from a legal challenge filed by Rafiu Bala, a former vice chairman of the ADC, who contested the emergence of the David Mark-led caretaker committee as the party’s leadership.

The dispute followed the resignation of the Ralph Nwosu-led National Working Committee in July 2025, after which David Mark assumed leadership of a new committee. Bala, however, maintained that he should have succeeded as chairman by virtue of his position.

He subsequently filed a suit at the Federal High Court on September 2, 2025, seeking to restrain Mark’s group from presenting itself as the party’s leadership.

Although the matter progressed through the courts, the Court of Appeal in Abuja dismissed an appeal filed by Mark on March 12, 2026.

Following the ruling, INEC said it decided to maintain the status quo ante bellum, reflecting the situation as it existed before the commencement of the legal action in September 2025.

The commission added that it would await the final determination of the case before taking further steps regarding the party’s leadership structure.