INEC Restored Confidence by Defending ADC’s Compliance, Says Osunbor

A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Prof. Oserheimen Osunbor, has commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for what he described as a more responsible approach in handling matters concerning the party, saying the electoral body has begun to restore public confidence.

Speaking on Politics Today, a programme on Channels Television, Osunbor said INEC initially relied on a Court of Appeal order to remove the names of the party’s recognised chairman and national secretary from its portal, a decision he said was later overturned by the Supreme Court.

According to him, the Court of Appeal’s order was wrongly interpreted to mean that the ADC leadership recognised by INEC since June 29, 2025, should no longer be recognised, leading to the party’s leadership being denied access to the commission’s portal.

“Luckily, that was laid to rest by the Supreme Court, which said it was wrong even for the Court of Appeal to have issued that order. It was therefore wrong for INEC to have relied on that Court of Appeal order to shut the leadership of ADC out of access to the INEC portal,” he said.

Osunbor noted that following the Supreme Court’s ruling, INEC appeared to have adopted a more responsible stance, citing the commission’s position in a suit filed by the Incorporated Trustees of the National Forum of Former Legislators.

He said INEC deposed to affidavits in the case, affirming that the ADC had fulfilled all constitutional requirements expected of a registered political party and did not deserve to be deregistered.

“The ADC has met all the constitutional requirements, and INEC, being the body charged with regulating political parties, diligently carried out that exercise. As a result, they came out to say that ADC was in full compliance and did not deserve to be deregistered,” he stated.

The former Edo State governor described INEC’s position as commendable, saying it helped counter public perception that the electoral commission was working with those seeking to weaken opposition parties ahead of the 2027 general election.

He added that many Nigerians had believed INEC was acting in concert with individuals interested in preventing opposition political parties from effectively challenging the ruling APC in the next presidential election.

According to Osunbor, INEC’s decision to acknowledge the party’s compliance with constitutional requirements has helped restore hope in the commission, which had been criticised over its earlier actions regarding the ADC leadership.