2027: ADC can be on poll, Atiku might not — Keyamo

…INEC concludes nationwide pre-election tour, urges monarchs’ help

Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development Festus Keyamo, has cautioned critics of the judgement that sacked the David Mark management of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and nullified the candidature of its presidential flag bearer, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar. He stated it was improper of them to assume the courtroom verdict was focused at denying the celebration its probabilities of  fielding candidates within the 2027 General Elections.

Rather, he stated the ADC remained eligible to area candidates via its recognised management construction, noting nonetheless that candidates produced by the Mark-led ADC, together with the previous VP, might in the end misplaced out.

This, he additional famous, would rely on the ultimate consequence of the  management dispute by the Supreme Court.

Keyamo stated this Sunday in a submit on his verified X deal with, following considerations in some quarters that the courtroom verdict might lastly cease the celebration from the final elections.

Following a go well with marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025 and introduced by former ADC Deputy National Chairman (North-East), Nafiu Bala Gombe, Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, Thursday, nullified the Mark management.

By implication, authorized specialists say, all of the celebration’s candidates cleared  to contest the polls subsequent yr, are deemed disqualified.

The ADC had been enmeshed in management disaster and a number of other different quagmires because the celebration was handed over by its former nationwide chairman, Ralph Nwosu.

Specifically, Gombe and a few main stakeholders  felt short-changed as they accused the previous celebration chair of undermining their curiosity by not following due course of.

For occasion, Gombe is contending that following Nwosu’s resignation, it was his proper, consistent with the celebration’s structure, to take over the mantle of management.

While the celebration vowed to contest the decision on the Court of Appeal, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) stated it might await the licensed true copy (CTC) of the judgement and examine identical earlier than making a categorical assertion on its subsequent line of motion.

…My place – Keyamo

Writing on his verified X deal with, Keyamo, a senior advocate f Nigeria, SAN, contended that the courtroom’s resolution mustn’t, in any means, be interpreted as a ban on the celebration.

He stated: “For the schooling of the general public, these elevating false alarm that the courtroom judgment on ADC means the celebration won’t be on the poll are spreading misinformation.

“The ADC will be on the ballot. It is the David Mark faction of candidates, including Atiku Abubakar, that may not be on the ballot, depending on the final judgment of the Supreme Court.”

On the criticisms that greeted the judgment, he queried: “Therefore, the question we must ask those raising hell is: are those Nigerians who successfully won their primaries under the faction of the original owners of the ADC lesser humans or lesser Nigerians than David Mark and Atiku Abubakar?”

… INEC concludes nationwide tour

Meanwhile, INEC has concluded its nationwide operational readiness tour forward of the 2027 General Election, with the Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, SAN, declaring that 9 of the 14 main statutory milestones within the election timetable had been executed.

Amupitan made the declaration in Lokoja, Kogi state, throughout the North-Central Zonal Interactive Meeting with Staff and Readiness Assessment for the 2027 General Election, which introduced the tour to an in depth.

The assembly introduced collectively National Commissioners, Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) from the zone, Directors from the National Headquarters, Administrative Secretaries, Heads of Department and Electoral Officers.

He stated the North-Central engagement was the strategic fruits of comparable assessments already held within the South-West, North-West, South-East, North-East and South-South.

 According to him, the tour was meant to establish operational weaknesses earlier than election day, make sure that native challenges had been mirrored in nationwide planning and stop voters from being disenfranchised via administrative or logistical failures.

Amupitan stated the remaining preparations required elevated consideration because the election dates approached.

He directed that no workers of the Commission ought to proceed on annual depart till after the elections.

According to him, the 2027 common election would contain over 103 million registered voters throughout 176,846 polling items.

 The presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for January 16, 2027, whereas the governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections will maintain on February 6, 2027.

The INEC chairman stated the Commission’s conduct of governorship elections in Anambra, Ekiti and Osun, the FCT Area Council elections and 16 bye-elections, had served as check grounds for the final election.

He warned that partisanship, negligence, monetary impropriety and absenteeism would appeal to swift sanctions, consistent with Section 26 of the Electoral Act 2026, which mandates a proper Oath of Neutrality.

To the staffers, he stated, “You are the human bridge translating the Electoral Act 2026 into democratic reality. Know the law, understand your responsibility, maintain absolute neutrality, document every action, and protect the integrity of the ballot.”

On workers welfare, the chairman stated the Commission was at a sophisticated stage of implementing  the newly permitted Consolidated Election Management Body Salary Structure (CEMBSS).

He added that the Commission had permitted enhanced wage, hazard and area allowances, alongside a 150 per cent enhance in month-to-month overheads to state workplaces, efficient July 1, 2026.

 “Twenty Sports Utility Vehicles have been procured for RECs, while Administrative Secretaries would also receive new vehicles,” he stated.

…Technology, election safety

On know-how, Prof. Amupitan stated the Commission was configuring Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) gadgets, together with 57,000 newly procured items.

He stated digital consequence administration techniques had been being audited to make sure clear transmission of polling unit outcomes to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV).

The INEC boss stated printable Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and a digital PVC location portal had been activated, and that the preliminary register of voters had been revealed for public show.

According to him, “The certified register of voters will be published on December 15, 2026.”

Addressing considerations over pictures showing on the preliminary register, he stated the info remained topic to verification earlier than the ultimate register was revealed.

On election safety, the chairman unveiled an intelligence-led framework beneath the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), which he known as the “ICCES Tentacle”.

“Insecurity may pose a challenge, but our constitutional resolve is stronger. Anyone attempting to threaten, intimidate, or harm our ad-hoc staff, NYSC members, or permanent personnel will face the full weight of the law,” he stated.

Warning towards faux information and digital disinformation, he stated workers conduct remained the Commission’s strongest defence.

He stated: “When our field execution is flawless, and our data pipeline is clear, no digital algorithm can displace the physical reality of a transparent vote.”

 Amupitan described Kogi state as Nigeria’s final electoral gateway, sharing boundaries with 10 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

He stated the North-Central zone has 15,448,869 registered voters, with Kogi accounting for 1,932,654.

By state, Benue has 2,777,727 voters, Plateau 2,787,273, Niger 2,698,344, Nasarawa 1,899,244, Kwara 1,698,627 and the FCT 1,655,000.

…Kogi REC

In his welcome tackle, the REC for Kogi state, Dr. Shehu Wahab, described Lokoja because the historic confluence metropolis the place Rivers Niger and Benue meet.

He urged workers to attract inspiration from its historical past of fine management to ship a reputable election.

He stated the chairman’s go to was a morale booster and that the state workplace was making ready for the polls regardless of added obligations arising from the restoration of 12 beforehand suppressed State Constituencies. He added that the workplace was working with safety businesses to alter the notion of Kogi as a violence-prone state throughout elections.

The Director of Planning and Monitoring, Mrs. Helen Ajayi, stated the evaluation was designed to inspire workers, consider state preparedness and establish operational and logistical challenges. She highlighted Electoral Risk Management (ERM) as a key instrument for mapping danger areas, and harassed the significance of conventional rulers in grassroots mobilisation for the 2027 General Election.

Directors from the National Headquarters additionally offered updates on voter registration, ICT, workers conduct, and operational and logistics readiness, whereas State representatives offered scenario experiences on election safety, coaching, voter schooling and stakeholder engagement.

…. Commission seeks monarchs’ help

The Friday assembly adopted engagements on Thursday, November 5, 2026, throughout which the Professor Amupitan paid a courtesy go to to the Kogi State Council of Traditional Rulers, describing it as a homecoming.

He stated the Commission couldn’t independently assure peaceable elections with out the cooperation of group leaders.

He appealed to the royal fathers to help the Commission in three areas: mobilisation for PVC assortment, discouragement of electoral violence and political thuggery, and the battle towards misinformation, together with deepfakes generated by synthetic intelligence.

 The delegation was obtained by the President and Chairman of the Council, His Royal Majesty, Dr. Matthew Alaji Opaluwa Oguche Akpa, the Attah Igala. Also current had been the Ohinoyi of Ebiraland, His Royal Majesty Alhaji Ahmed Tijani Muhammad, and the Obaro of Kabba and Chairman of the Okun Area Traditional Council, His Royal Majesty Oba Solomon Dele Owoniyi.

Responding on behalf of the Attah Igala, the Ohinoyi of Ebiraland, who’s Vice President of the Council, pledged the Council’s collaboration with INEC and described Prof. Amupitan’s appointment as a supply of delight to the folks of Kogi State. He urged the Chairman to stay dedicated to equity, transparency, accountability and the rule of regulation.