By Iyiola Olalere
The Democratic Front (TDF) has condemned the African Democratic Congress (ADC) over its continuous harassment of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
According to a statement signed by its Chairman, Mallam Danjuma Muhammad, and Secretary, Chief Wale Adedayo, the recent activities of the party leaders amount to a systematic undermining of the tenets of democracy and the rule of law.
“If only David Mark and his colleagues in the factional National Working Committee of the ADC are truly responsible, they should have known that INEC, the electoral umpire, acted in conformity with the directive of the Court of Appeal, without prejudice to the party’s right to continue to pursue their case in court
“We recall that the Court of Appeal had ruled for a return to status quo ante bellum, in a suit challenging the validity of Sen. David Mark’s faction of the NWC. Therefore, the legal interpretation of a return to ‘status quo antebellum’ in this particular case, refers to the reinstatement of the original NWC that administered the party before the purported emergence of Senator Mark as party chairman.
“It is instructive to remind
Mark and his factional NWC that the Supreme Court had long ruled that the legal interpretation of status quo ante bellum in any circumstance, is a return to the subsisting position before the legal battle commenced between all parties.
“To this end, INEC’s decision not to recognise the David Mark faction is valid and in tandem with the position of law.
” We believe that as one of the parties to the case before the Court of Appeal, INEC is bound by the court’s directive to all the parties in the conflict, to abstain from any action that could be prejudicial and contemptuous to court proceedings, until a final decision on the case is reached.
“It is therefore reckless, anti-democratic, and inconsiderate for the David Mark-led National Working Committee of the ADC to continue to harass and blackmail the electoral commission over a case that is still pending before the court,” the statement said.
It added that there was no basis for the party to drag President Tinubu into an intra-party matter.
“We posit that passing of the buck by wrongly blaming President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the internal conflicts afflicting the party, simply amounts to deflecting responsibility on the part of Sen. David Mark and his colleagues in the ADC.
“The earlier they fixed the differences in their party the better for them. It is not the responsibility of President Tinubu to reconcile the warring groups in their party.
“Finally, it is our opinion to conclude that the current crisis rocking the ADC is a reflection of the disorganised and uncivilised political orientation of the Sen. Mark-led leadership of the party.
“Their preference for cutting corners in all they do, coupled with their buccaneer approach to issues of governance and democracy has landed them in the most embarrassing situation of their political career,” it noted.
End