Nigeria, April 4 -- The Chairperson of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Joash Amupitan, has defended its handling of the leadership crisis in the African Democratic Congress (ADC), insisting its decisions were guided strictly by court orders and pending proceedings before the Federal High Court.

Speaking in an interview with Arise Television on Friday, Mr Amupitan, a professor and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), explained that INEC decided to stop engaging with either faction of the party as a result of the Court of Appeal issuing "clear preservative orders".

"The court also ordered that parties should maintain status quo ante bellum and should not do anything that will foist a fait accompli on the trial court or ...