ADC rejects PRP talks and vows to reverse INEC action on party leadership – THIS UPDATE

By Victor Osula, Abuja

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has dismissed reports of ongoing coalition talks with the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), saying its main focus is a determined legal effort to overturn what it described as “illegal” actions taken against its leadership by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

In a statement released on Monday, the party’s national publicity secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said circulating reports suggesting that the ADC was engaged in clandestine negotiations with another political party ahead of a pending court ruling were false and misleading.

“Our attention has been drawn to a story in circulation that the African Democratic Congress (ADC) is in talks with another political party, namely the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), awaiting its court ruling. We would like to state categorically that this is not true,” Abdullahi said.

The party stressed that there is currently no form of discussion about a coalition or alliance, insisting that speculation about political realignments is unfounded.

“The coalition leadership is currently having no such dialogue with any political party,” the statement read.

Instead, the ADC said it was fully committed to pursuing legal redress for what it called undue interference in its internal affairs.

The party accused INEC, together with “agents of the ruling party”, of taking measures that undermine its leadership structure and violate democratic norms.

“We are fully committed to ensuring that the illegal action taken against our leadership by INEC and other agents of the ruling party is quelled,” the party said, underlining the urgency and significance of the legal battle.

Framing the dispute as a broader constitutional and democratic issue, the ADC warned that the outcome of the case could set a key precedent for the survival of Nigeria’s multi-party democracy.

“We believe this is the only path to safeguard the rule of law and ensure that multi-party democracy survives in Nigeria,” he added.

While ruling out immediate coalition talks, the party reiterated its openness to future collaboration between opposition forces, but stressed that such commitments would not be to the detriment of its current legal battle.

“While we are open to expanding the coalition to bring together all elements of the opposition in the country to save our country, we remain clear on the responsibility that this moment has placed on us. We will not abdicate that responsibility,” the statement read.

The ADC also rejected claims suggesting it may abandon its platform or flaws ahead of the court’s early ruling, describing such claims as premature and speculative.

“Therefore, any suggestion that we are considering abandoning the ADC is pre-emptive and speculative and should be ignored,” Abdullahi said.

On the judicial front, the party expressed cautious optimism, despite expressing concerns about the alleged pressure on democratic institutions. He argued that the courts would rise to the occasion and uphold justice.

“Despite the flagrant bastardisation of democratic institutions, the ADC leadership remains confident that the judicial institutions, at this crucial juncture, will resist the pressure to be complicit in undermining Nigeria’s democracy,” the statement concluded.

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