The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has explained that its respect for the rule of law made it impossible for it to monitor Tuesday’s state congress of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.
It said it stayed away from the congress due to an earlier or
Speaking to newsmen in Akure in a telephone conversation , Yinka Ogunseye, INEC’s spokesperson in Ondo State, explained that the commission was not in a position to oversee the congress because it had not received any official instruction to do so. “There is no directive from the INEC headquarters to monitor the congress,” Ogunseye stated.
He further emphasised that INEC could not act in violation of an existing court order. “There is no way the commission can disobey a court injunction,” he added, underscoring the importance of adhering to legal protocols.
This clarification comes in the wake of reports earlier today by Starnews NG, which indicated that the Ondo APC had conducted a peaceful consensus congress, resulting in the election of new executives.
This move has raised eyebrows, particularly as it occurred despite a recent Federal High Court ruling that granted an interim injunction restraining the party from recognising or acting on the outcomes of previous ward and local government congresses.
The court order, issued on March 2, 2026, by Justice T.B. Adegoke, followed an ex-parte application filed by aggrieved APC members led by Lawrence Oladimeji Adebayo.
The plaintiffs, representing 7,427 individuals, alleged that their rights were violated during the conduct of the party’s congresses held on February 18 and 21. The injunction prohibits INEC from acknowledging these congresses and restricts the APC from holding any planned state congress until the matter is resolved.
But the party insisted that the Ondo State chapter would proceed with the congress as scheduled, dismissing the court’s ruling as a “social media court order.” He stated, “We are not relying on any social media court order. The National Secretariat has not given any directive regarding any alleged order.”
