There is growing urgency among embattled opposition figures within the African Democratic Congress (APC) as they accelerate contingency plans, settling for the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) as a fallback platform ahead of critical electoral deadlines.
The move comes amid a prolonged leadership crisis within the ADC, which has become entangled in multiple court cases and created uncertainty over the party’s legitimacy going into the 2027 election cycle.
A key trigger for the latest political manoeuvres is the deadline set by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for submission of party membership registers.
INEC has fixed May 10 as the deadline, a timeline that effectively determines who can participate in party primaries.
Under the Electoral Act, only individuals captured in a party’s membership register before submission can contest in primaries, making early alignment with a political platform critical.
Under the Electoral Act 2022, political parties were required to maintain a comprehensive register of their members and make this available to the INEC before the date fixed for their primaries, congresses, or conventions.
This provision, contained in Section 77(3) of the Act, was designed to ensure transparency and credibility in the nomination process, allowing INEC to verify the authenticity of party membership and participation in primaries.
INEC has recently fixed May 10 as the deadline for the submission of the registers, effectively making it about three weeks from today.
Although the law did not expressly stipulate a deadline for when an aspirant must join a political party, this requirement has created a de facto cutoff point.
Once a party submits its membership register to INEC ahead of its primaries, the window for new entrants effectively narrows, as only individuals captured in that register would be eligible to participate in the nomination process.
Besides, any attempt to introduce new members after that stage could face legal scrutiny, particularly in the event of post-primary disputes.
This is further reinforced by provisions governing candidate nomination. Section 29(1) of the Act mandates that political parties must submit the names of their candidates to INEC not later than 180 days before the date of the election. Those candidates must have emerged from valid primaries conducted by their respective parties, making prior membership a fundamental requirement.
ADC’s case is even more complex in the context of internal party disputes. Where factions within a party submit conflicting membership registers or conduct parallel primaries, the question of which process was recognised by INEC, and ultimately upheld by the courts, could determine the validity of candidates.
In several instances, Nigerian courts have nullified nominations arising from processes deemed to have violated the Electoral Act or party constitutions.
But the cut-off timelines gleaned from the PRP’s party guidelines were even tighter. For instance, while membership re-registration or revalidation was set for between April 10 to 30, submission of membership register to INEC is April 21 (tomorrow).
It was gathered that key actors within the David Mark-led ADC have opened high-level talks with the PRP.
National chairman of the party, Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, confirmed that key figures in the opposition have reached out to PRP and that discussions were ongoing.
A central factor driving the current urgency among opposition politicians, it was gathered, was the set of timelines embedded in Nigeria’s electoral framework, which, while not always explicit on the surface, imposed strict procedural deadlines that could make or mar political ambitions.
At the centre of the ADC crisis is a leadership dispute involving David Mark and rival factions challenging his emergence.
The situation has led to: Multiple court cases, including matters before the Supreme Court; Paralysed party structures across states; Competing factions laying claim to leadership; Uncertainty over the party’s convention and primaries
INEC has already withdrawn recognition from the Mark-led leadership following court directives, further complicating the party’s position.
The ADC has recently attracted major political figures, including: Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Rabiu Kwankwaso, Rotimi Amaechi, and Rauf Aregbesola.
Sources say many of these actors are now exploring alternative platforms as legal uncertainties persist.
Sources familiar with the situation said the ADC crisis has forced many stakeholders to hedge their bets, as conflicting judicial outcomes remained a real possibility.
While a Federal High Court in Abuja is currently handling the substantive case challenging the legitimacy of the ADC leadership, the matter has also generated interlocutory issues that have reached the Supreme Court as it prepares to hear key appeals related to the ADC crisis.
The court has fixed April 22 for accelerated hearing of the disputes, a move seen as decisive for determining which faction controls the party.
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