₦airaland Forum

This is a genuinely contested legal and political question, and the answer hinges critically on **how "status quo ante bellum" is correctly interpreted** in this specific context. Here is a balanced analysis:

[b][/b]Background

The crisis is a power struggle between the David Mark-led faction and the Nafiu Bala Gombe faction over who legitimately controls the African Democratic Congress (ADC). The dispute intensified after the earlier party leadership structure stepped aside and David Mark's camp emerged. The dispute is tied to Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025 at the Federal High Court in Abuja, filed by Nafiu Bala Gombe on September 2, 2025. [CrispNG](https://crispng.com/inec-suspends-all-engagement-with-adc-factions-as-david-mark-nwc-is-removed-what-this-means/)

The National Working Committee (NWC) of the ADC came into being following the National Executive Council Meeting of July 29, 2025, after all the Ralph Okey Nwosu Exco members resigned and ratified the appointment of the present NWC members led by Senator David Mark. The names of the new NWC were uploaded on INEC's portal on September 9, 2025 — seven days after the suit was instituted. [Century Newspaper](https://www.centurynewspaper.com/2027-why-we-wont-recognize-david-mark-led-faction-of-adc-inec/)

On March 12, 2026, the Court of Appeal dismissed Mark's interlocutory appeal and issued preservative orders directing all parties to maintain the status quo ante bellum and refrain from taking any step capable of foisting a fait accompli on the court. [Punch](https://punchng.com/inec-derecognises-mark-aregbesola-parties-revolt/)

---

## INEC's Justification

INEC's position is that it was simply obeying a binding court order. Since the names of the David Mark-led NWC were uploaded on September 9, 2025 — seven days **after** the suit was filed — those names would be removed from the INEC portal to restore the status quo ante bellum, i.e., the position before September 2, 2025. [Century Newspaper](https://www.centurynewspaper.com/2027-why-we-wont-recognize-david-mark-led-faction-of-adc-inec/)

The INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, explained that the commission carefully examined judicial authorities and Supreme Court precedents in defining the phrase, stating: "Status quo ante bellum means the status before the hostility started, the status before the war." [Sahara Reporters](https://saharareporters.com/2026/04/03/inec-chairman-explains-why-commission-rejected-david-marks-adc-faction-insists-action)

He also stressed that concerns heightened when the David Mark faction notified INEC of plans to proceed with primaries and congresses scheduled for April 9, 2026, despite pending litigation, noting that proceeding with such activities while a restraining motion was before the Federal High Court could undermine judicial authority. [Sahara Reporters](https://saharareporters.com/2026/04/03/inec-chairman-explains-why-commission-rejected-david-marks-adc-faction-insists-action)

---

## Arguments Against INEC's Interpretation

Several legal experts have challenged INEC's action as a **misreading** of the court order:

**1. Who actually held the status quo?**
The Supreme Court had held that "maintenance of the status quo must mean maintaining the situation as it existed at the time of filing the action." At the material time when the suit was filed on September 2, 2025, the David Mark-led team had **already** taken over the leadership of the ADC. So, properly interpreted, the status quo preserves and protects the David Mark leadership, not the one before it. [TheCable](https://www.thecable.ng/inecs-delisting-of-adc-leadership-is-legally-wrongful/)

**2. INEC created a leadership vacuum, not a status quo:**
The calculated decision of INEC to leave the ADC in a state of disarray by removing its entire leadership, under the guise of maintaining the status quo, is wrongful, undemocratic and unconstitutional. The Court of Appeal order was not and could not have meant creating a leadership vacuum in the ADC. [TheCable](https://www.thecable.ng/inecs-delisting-of-adc-leadership-is-legally-wrongful/)

**3. Courts lack jurisdiction over intra-party disputes:**
Section 83(5) of the Electoral Act 2026 expressly states that "no Court in Nigeria shall entertain jurisdiction over any suit or matter pertaining to the internal affairs of a political party." Section 83(6) prohibits courts from granting interim or interlocutory orders in such cases. Yet interlocutory court orders are being weaponised to destabilise the ADC's opposition leadership. [TheCable](https://www.thecable.ng/inecs-delisting-of-adc-leadership-is-legally-wrongful/)

**4. Suspicious timing:**
The Court of Appeal order was issued on March 12, but INEC did not act until April 1 — barely a few days before the commencement of the party's congresses and conventions, which raises questions about INEC's neutrality. [WITHIN NIGERIA](https://www.withinnigeria.com/2026/04/04/adc-leadership-impasse-x-raying-inecs-derecognition-of-david-mark-aregbesola-and-its-implications-for-the-party/)

---

## Conclusion: Is INEC's Action Justifiable?

The answer is **contested**, but leans toward **not fully justifiable**, for the following reasons:

- The **correct legal anchor** for "status quo ante bellum" in this context is the state of affairs at the **time the suit was filed** (September 2, 2025). At that exact moment, the David Mark-led NWC had already been formed (July 29, 2025) and was functionally in control — even if INEC had not yet formally uploaded their names. Removing their names therefore arguably **reverses** the status quo rather than preserving it.
- INEC's action effectively **created a leadership vacuum** which the court's order never intended, since the order's purpose was to preserve — not destabilize — the subject matter of the dispute.
- The **suspicious delay** in acting (from March 12 to April 1) — timed just before the party's conventions — raises legitimate questions about whether the action was genuinely judicial compliance or a politically motivated intervention.
- That said, INEC does have a defensible argument that its hands were tied by a binding Court of Appeal order, and that compliance with court orders is non-negotiable for an electoral umpire.

In sum, **INEC's action was legally questionable at best and politically suspicious at worst**, as it appears to misapply the concept of status quo ante bellum in a manner that destabilizes a major opposition party ahead of the 2027 elections.

My 2 cents contribution

toluxa1:
Everybody don tire

E easy to run about for almost 2hrs?

However, the game go from now. Super Eagles tried by containing the Moroccans even in the midst of all pressure 👏👏

Baldostatus Umuculi

Apostle Paul said
1 Corinthians 14:34 Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law.
14:35 And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.
14:36 What? came the word of God out from you? or came it unto you only?
14:37 If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.
14:38 But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant.
*Note* GOD DOES NOT CHANGE!

olamefun1990:
I feel that the reason many northern politicians are against restructuring is because they know they will possibly lose political relevance if they losen their grip on the economy. It simply means that everyone will have to make do with what's available to him in his region which is not so much in the north compared to other regions. As Yorubas, we've got nothing to lose whether Nigeria get restructured or not. We've always set the pace. this is a game of "whoever holds the economy might calls the shots"...... And it won't go down well with the north considering the fact that they've always felt it is their birthright.

Well said, nothing but the absolute truth. Meanwhile, let's sit back and watch how politicization of this restructuring issue unfold. Politicians always find something to distract the unsecured/unsuspecting masses. May God help us!

Those of you having issues accessing the site, try out these tips:
Use Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome browser with a good network and continue to refresh, it will eventually open.
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Ogaezy:
I just got a mail now to fill my details on dragnet, did anyone here scale through with 2.2 ?

Yes

oduastates:
Of what use are all the so called professor of geology, Dr of geography and all those "expert" waving and accumulating useless degrees all over the place .
When I say Nigeria is useless , some people wonder how a citizen can be so harsh .
The other time I said 99% of Nigerians are neither Muslims nor Christains because the type ,behaviour ,patriotism and humility of christains and muslims I see and I've seen around the world is different ......
Over 100 million human being , yet we need to travel across the world to find experts .
How much is it to send a couple of first class graduates on a 4 year practical training training in road construction , geology,engineering etc . Yet we spend billions sending people to worship a stone in Mecca and a burial ground in Jerusalem.
What are Nigerian professors doing ? Lazying around ,waiting to collect salaries and sell handouts .
Kudos to cross river

I wish I could join you in saying this over and over again, I've never imagined any country as useless as Nigeria. It's really pathetic

It's not over until it's over, let's keep going with the tweets. We must break all their twitter handles today. Interns stop spectating, abeg tweet!!!

Let's keep tweeting please follow me @ogaledaniel

Though this might as well be a medium of meeting like minds but I tell you of a truth, this is how great nations emerges irrespective of our differences we came out to achieving a common goal. I'm glad to be attributed to such a family, let's keep the heat on, cos victory is not far fetched from us. Brothers n sisters let's keep tweeting

Checkout @ogaledaniel https://mobile.twitter.com/OgaleDaniel/status/680303255147053057?p=v

Merry Christmas House pls let's get going with the tweets. You can follow me @ogaledaniel. I believe we'll get there. Aluta continua Victoria aserta

Congratulations Niger existing Interns

Hello house, there are some of us here that are yet to receive the mail invite but have received the sms, please if you have attended or now attending the training, please what are the requirements for identification? I mean what and what do we need go along with to the venue?

Finally, I just got my invite..... #TeamNiger reporting

Please house, has any intern from Niger received exit training invite?

If you reside within the local government/Capital where the training is being held, you're entitled to 15k but anything outside, it's 25k. The 10k difference is to augment for the accommodation and transport for interns coming outside the area of training.. Enjoy your training

The Word of God is given to some for Salvation and to others Damnation. This Words hath been hiden from the eyes of the wise and prudent but hath been revealed to babes to such that will learn.

It is best to keep shot when you lack understanding

Surely the Lord God shall do nothing until he reveals his secrets to his servant the prophet

Have a blissful sunday..

June alert registered, #TeamNiger I don tire to dey wait for January own oooo. God has won. Lol...........

Any news from Niger Interns? Eyez dey red oh n ears dey scratch no b small.......
Let d news keep flowing

Pls Mod, do the needful. This ought to be in front page

For how long must we continue to cry? They said Nigerian graduates are not employable we kept quite, they brought up a programme to augment our so called unskillfulness we accepted, we were faced with no choice rather than to chose for ourselves organisations that did not correspond to our course of studies we gladly did, we were told to obey our employers work ethics even when the organisation dont pay a dime we still agreed and more pressing conditions with GIS to Intern communication gave interns fear of continuation of the programme we still kept our hopes high. What more skill than attitude has Nigerian graduates not displayed in response to these conditions and we are still refered to as UNEMPLOYABLE!

Alert loading 100% completed, account sychronization successful, mission accomplished, no Bleep up! #Niger

I called the c c line last friday and I was told the stipend will be paid soonest.
Their soon maybe 2day, 2moro or nxt year

Ola400:
Hello everyone , I was manually matched with a firm since last year but no confirmation mail from Sure-P. And trying to login now, the response is always Internal Server Error. Please, has sure-p site changed? Or what could be wronged? Please, help me out

Try to refresh the page on the browser until it opens or better still, use opera browser on your mobile phone...
Enjoy.....

Hello house, I am Ogale Daniel, I hold a B.Sc cert in Physics (ABU Zaria)

Alert, hw u dey? ur paddy jst lay low like nate dog, abeg, no allow am lay low till him sleep!
Happy alert week.....

Maryspeck:
give me ur email make I forward it to u asap.

Pls I need it too. drive4ril@gmail.com
Thanks....