Paul Ibe, media aide to the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has challenged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to explain why it has yet to clarify its position on a Federal High Court judgment upholding the David Mark-led ADC leadership.
Ibe’s demand followed a statement by INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, that the commission would comply with court decisions concerning Atiku’s participation in the 2027 presidential election.
In a statement posted on X, Ibe described obedience to court orders as a legal obligation but argued that the chairman’s assurance failed to address questions surrounding a July 2, 2026 judgment delivered by Justice Musa Liman, which upheld the emergence of the David Mark-led ADC leadership.
He questioned whether the judgment had been set aside and demanded that INEC identify the specific court orders it considers binding, particularly those affecting the ADC leadership and its candidates.
Ibe insisted that INEC owed Nigerians a clear explanation of how it intended to reconcile the two decisions, rather than making a general declaration that it would obey the judiciary.
He maintained that his demand was not for the commission to disregard any court ruling but to account for both judgments while leaving any conflict between them to the appropriate appellate court.
The Atiku aide also warned against what he described as selective treatment of court decisions, insisting that judgments favourable to the opposition must receive the same consideration as those that do not.
He stressed that INEC must demonstrate that its guiding principle is the law and not the political convenience of any outcome.