Mark’s removal: INEC misinterpreting law, acting with bias – Atiku

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of overstepping its legal authority by deleting the name of former Senate President David Mark as National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

Speaking in an interview with BBC Newsday aired on Saturday, Atiku said the electoral body misinterpreted a Court of Appeal ruling and acted outside its statutory bounds when it withdrew recognition from both the Mark-led faction and a rival faction led by Nafiu Bala.

INEC had announced on April 1 that it would no longer recognise either leadership structure, citing a Court of Appeal directive ordering political parties to maintain the “status quo ante bellum” – the situation that existed before a suit was filed at the Federal High Court.

But Atiku argued that INEC is not empowered to interpret court rulings, especially on matters relating to internal party governance.

“We are accusing them of misinterpreting the law, even though it is not their responsibility to do that,” he said. “The court has already interpreted the law. We are also accusing them of bias.”

Allegations of Political Interference

When asked whether the alleged bias was aimed at keeping President Bola Tinubu in power, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) responded bluntly: “For sure.”

Atiku maintained that INEC’s actions run counter to multiple Supreme Court judgments affirming that the internal affairs of political parties are beyond the reach of external agencies.

“The commission has not acted according to law because we have a number of cases decided even by the Supreme Court that the internal affairs of political parties are not the prerogative of any agency other than the political parties themselves,” he said.

“But they have ignored the ruling of the highest court in the land.”

He described INEC’s decision to remove the Mark-led executive’s names from its website as a threat to Nigeria’s democratic progress and evidence of what he called creeping authoritarianism.

“We call it dictatorship because we have seen evidence of government interference in the electoral process, even in the judicial process in the country,” Atiku said.

Four Decades of Democratic Struggle

The ADC chieftain said he had spent 40 years fighting to establish democracy in Nigeria and warned that the ruling party was attempting to “completely overthrow” those hard-won gains.

He stressed the urgent need for free and fair elections, an impartial electoral umpire, and a political environment free from government meddling.

Security and Unemployment Concerns

Turning to national security, Atiku expressed deep concern over worsening insecurity across the country, questioning both the government’s capacity and its willingness to address the situation.

“Nigeria is a vast country and admittedly so, but we also have in terms of manpower what it takes to have enough resources to counter terrorism and illegal activities going on in the country,” he said.

“It is quite ironic and surprising that Nigeria cannot mobilise its armed forces to counter these activities.”

He alleged possible collusion in the fight against insecurity, suggesting that the situation may be deliberately allowed to persist in order to intimidate citizens – particularly farmers and business owners.

“You cannot travel; there is no security everywhere. It’s absolutely uncalled for,” he said. “Nigeria has a huge population and young, educated men who can be employed in the security services and protect the country, but that is not happening.”

On unemployment, Atiku warned that rising joblessness was fuelling criminal activity among the nation’s youth.

“Unemployment is very prevalent in Nigeria today. There is no basis for that,” he said. “Nigeria has enough resources to ensure there is minimal unemployment. We have vast unemployed young men and women, and there is a tendency for them to go into crime.”

He called for stronger private sector participation and urged the government to provide incentives that would stimulate job creation.

Optimism for 2027

Despite his criticisms, Atiku expressed optimism about Nigeria’s democratic future, saying citizens would elect the “right people” in the 2027 general elections.