Oluwole Osaze-Uzzi, former director of voter education and publicity at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), says the commission cannot legally leave a political party without a recognised leadership.
Osaze-Uzzi spoke on Sunday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, where he weighed in on the controversy surrounding INEC’s decision to de-recognise the David Mark-led leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
He added that the ADC had complied with legal requirements regarding notice for its convention.
“Legally speaking, procedurally, they are in good standing as far as the notice of their convention is concerned,” he said.
However, Osaze-Uzzi questioned INEC’s decision to remove the names of key party officials from its records.
“I listened to the INEC chairman and read the statement. I may not agree with that decision, and many lawyers will not agree with it,” he said.
He explained that the dispute centres on the interpretation of status quo ante bellum, a legal principle meaning the state of affairs before a conflict began.
“The question is: what was the situation before the dispute? That is what determines the status quo ante bellum,” he said.
Osaze-Uzzi noted that the law requires every political party to have identifiable leadership.
“One thing is clear — a political party must have a national chairman and a national secretary. It can be acting or provisional, but it cannot exist without leadership,” he said.
He said INEC’s position effectively creates a situation where a party is left without recognised leadership, which is inconsistent with legal requirements.
“You cannot have a political party without a head. It is not possible,” he said.
The former INEC director added that determining the rightful leadership remains a matter for the courts, not administrative interpretation.
“It depends on what you interpret as the status quo before the dispute began,” he said.
