The Coalition of Civil Society Groups for Peace, Security, Good Governance, Equity and Justice (CCSHPSGGEJ) has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately comply with a Court of Appeal judgment on the leadership of the Action Alliance (AA) and its candidate for the 2027 presidential election.
The Coalition group’s demand was contained in a statement made available to Journalists in Kaduna by the Convener, Comrade James Okoronkwo.
The group said the Court of Appeal had affirmed Kenneth Udeze as the authentic National Chairman of the Action Alliance, arguing that the judgment remained valid and binding on INEC and other relevant institutions.
According to the coalition, the development should have paved the way for the recognition of Joseph Oluwadare Fadojoe as the party’s presidential candidate following a primary election conducted by the party’s National Executive Committee under Udeze’s leadership.
“It is therefore shocking, vexatious, illegal, reprehensible and contemptuous of the Court of Appeal for INEC to continue to parade and recognize Mr. Adekunle Omo-Aje as the Presidential Candidate of the Action Alliance,” Okoronkwo said in the statement.
The coalition alleged that INEC’s continued recognition of Omo-Aje amounted to disregard for the judiciary and called on the electoral commission to correct what it described as an “embarrassing anomaly.”
The group stated that “the continued recognition of Mr. Adekunle Omo-Aje as the Presidential Candidate of Action Alliance (AA) by INEC is illegal, null and void,” while insisting that Fadojoe was the candidate produced by what it described as the party’s legitimate leadership.
The coalition further argued that INEC, as a statutory institution, should not selectively comply with court decisions.
“INEC as an institution created by law, cannot and must not be seen to be disobeying the law or choosing which court judgement to obey,” it said.
The coalition specifically called on INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, to take immediate steps to resolve the dispute.
It demanded that the commission publish Fadojoe’s name as the Action Alliance’s presidential candidate for the 2027 election, withdraw its recognition of Omo-Aje and fully comply with the Court of Appeal judgment affirming Udeze as the party’s National Chairman.
“We call on the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, to immediately redress this anomaly and demonstrate respect for the rule of law,” Okoronkwo said
The group also warned that it would consider further action if INEC failed to respond to its demands.
“Failure by INEC to comply with this legitimate demand within a reasonable time will leave this Coalition with no other option than to mobilize all civil society groups across the country for a peaceful mass action and to explore all legal options to compel compliance and defend our democracy,” the statement said.
The coalition said it believed Amupitan, as a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, would uphold the authority of the judiciary and resolve the matter.
The coalition urged INEC to align its records with the court judgment and the outcome of the party primary it supports.
“The claims and interpretation of the court judgment presented in the statement were those of the coalition. INEC’s response to the allegations was not included in the statement made available to the press,” the statement said.
