Minister of aviation and aerospace development Festus Keyamo has warned that the African Democratic Congress (ADC) may not field candidates in the 2027 general elections following the leadership crisis in the party.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had earlier said it would no longer recognise the leadership of the party and removed the names of officials from its portal, citing a Court of Appeal ruling on the dispute.
Reacting in a post on X on Friday, Minister Keyamo criticised the faction led by David Mark.
“The David Mark faction of the ADC really think they can use emotional reasoning and blackmail to bluff their way out of a legal issue they brought upon themselves. Law does not admit of sentiment,” he wrote.
He rejected the faction’s reliance on the concept of status quo, saying it does not address the issue.
Keyamo said a pending court case over the party’s leadership could affect any action taken by either faction before INEC’s deadline for nomination of candidates.
“The implication is that the ADC may end up having no candidate for the election,” he said.
He added that the party should resolve its leadership dispute instead of criticising INEC.
According to him, the ADC can seek a court decision, resolve the matter internally or consider another platform.
Keyamo also rejected claims that the All Progressives Congress (APC) or INEC was responsible for the crisis.
“Neither APC nor INEC forced them to take over a platform without resolving leadership issues,” he said.
Responding to plans by the faction to proceed with congresses and a convention, Keyamo said, “Never interrupt your opponent when he is making a mistake.”
