The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has rejected the Federal High Court judgment nullifying its leadership under David Mark and invalidating decisions made by the party’s caretaker committee, including the nomination of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar as its presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections.
The party described the judgment as a desperate attempt to weaken the opposition and deny Nigerians the opportunity to freely choose their leaders in the forthcoming elections.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, questioned the timing of the judgment, which came barely 24 hours after the party’s presidential campaign rally in Sokoto State.
He alleged that the ruling exposed the growing desperation of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) over the increasing political strength of the opposition.
The Federal High Court in Abuja, presided over by Justice Peter Lifu, had declared the David Mark-led caretaker committee illegal and ruled in favour of Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former Deputy National Chairman (North-East) of the party.
Bala had approached the court to challenge the process through which Mark and other members of the caretaker committee assumed control of the party following the resignation of its former National Chairman, Ralph Nwosu.
He argued that he was constitutionally entitled to assume the party’s leadership after Nwosu’s resignation.
Delivering its reaction, the ADC described the judgment as a threat to Nigeria’s democratic process, insisting that its consequences went beyond the political interests of Atiku and Mark.
“We have reasons to believe that the judgment had long been written on this case. The Sokoto rally was simply a trigger that stampeded its delivery,” Abdullahi said.
He recalled that thousands of Nigerians had attended the party’s Sokoto rally to express support for the ADC and its promise to address the country’s economic challenges.
“Yesterday, Nigerians came out in their hundreds of thousands to demonstrate their support for the ADC and our promise of making life affordable for them. Today, they are being told that the party that they support and the candidates that they have supported at all levels could be erased by the stroke of a reckless judicial pen,” he stated.
Abdullahi maintained that the judgment affected the democratic rights of thousands of political candidates and Nigerians who wished to participate in the 2027 elections.
He further described the ruling as legally indefensible, vowing that the party would challenge it through every available judicial process.
“We have seen this script before. When they are scared that the opposition is gathering steam, they use their judges in the courts to influence legally indefensible judgments,” he alleged.
The ADC spokesperson also warned the APC against actions capable of threatening the country’s peace and stability, arguing that no political ambition should take precedence over national interests.
“We warn the APC: do not play with fires you cannot control. The peace and stability of Nigeria are bigger than the ambition of any president or political party,” he added.
He questioned why the ruling party would allegedly fear political competition if it believed its policies and candidates enjoyed widespread public support.
Abdullahi, however, urged ADC members and supporters to remain calm and law-abiding while the party pursues legal avenues to overturn the judgment.
