The Strategic Alliance for National Development (STAND) has called on the Attorney General of the Federation and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to urgently intervene in the lingering legal and leadership crisis within the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and other opposition parties.
In a statement issued in Abuja, the civil society group warned that failure to act could disenfranchise millions of Nigerians and erode confidence in the country’s democratic process ahead of the 2027 general elections.
STAND said the administrative and judicial bottlenecks surrounding ADC’s internal affairs have created “dangerous uncertainty” and alleged a coordinated effort — what it described as a “triple-threat” conspiracy — involving elements of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), the judiciary, and INEC, to keep opposition parties in perpetual litigation and disarray.
“We are witnessing what appears to be a calculated attempt to use legal technicalities to sideline a viable alternative for the Nigerian people,” said Yinka Sotade and Boluwaji Fajuyigbe Ezekiel, STAND’s Acting National Secretary and Acting Publicity Secretary, respectively.
“When the electoral umpire and the chief law officer of the federation remain silent while a major political party is hamstrung by conflicting court orders, it creates a vacuum that only serves the interests of the status quo,” they added.
The group highlighted three major concerns: the risk of mass disenfranchisement, the alleged weaponization of the judiciary, and what it called INEC’s declining neutrality. It argued that the ADC represents the aspirations of millions of youths, professionals, and grassroots voters, and that any move to prevent the party from fielding candidates would amount to a direct assault on citizens’ right to choose their leaders.
STAND also accused the courts of sending conflicting signals that have stalled ADC’s operations, and urged the Attorney General to ensure that the justice system is not used as a tool for political exclusion. It further called on INEC to provide a clear and lawful roadmap for the ADC and other opposition parties rather than allowing them to be paralyzed by administrative silence.
The group warned that “gross injustice in the face of a seemingly tailored justiciable system is a recipe for anarchy,” saying Nigerians would not sit idly by while their democratic options are narrowed through “backroom deals and judicial maneuvers.”
STAND demanded that the Attorney General and INEC Chairman convene an immediate stakeholders’ meeting to clarify ADC’s legal standing and extend the same clarity to all political parties.
“The stability of our nation depends on a fair, inclusive, and transparent electoral landscape,” the group said, adding that it would continue to monitor the situation and mobilize civil society to protect the sanctity of the ballot.
