THE fate of the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, appears to be hanging in the balance following the decision of a Federal High Court, sitting in Abuja, to sack the Senator David Mark-led executive of the party. The court, presided over by Justice Peter Lifu in a ruling on Thursday, nullified the process by which the Mark-led executive emerged.
Delivering judgment in a suit filed by a factional Deputy National Chairman, Nafiu Bala Gombe, Justice Lifu ruled that the caretaker committee led by Mark and Rauf Aregbesola, as national chairman and national secretary, assumed office illegally. It also nullified every candidate.
The ruling has immediately ignited legal controversy, coming barely four months after another judge of the same Federal High Court, Justice Musa Liman, affirmed the legality of the Mark-led leadership on July 2, 2026, setting the stage for a major appellate showdown.
According to the judgment, all candidates nominated for the 2027 general elections also have their nominations cancelled on the ground that they emerged from illegal and unlawful leadership of ADC.
The judge held that all actions taken by David Mark leadership in the name of ADC are unlawful and nullified.
Gombe argued that following the resignation of the former National Chairman, Ralph Nwosu, he was constitutionally entitled to take over the party’s leadership.
He consequently asked the court to invalidate the actions of the Mark-led leadership and restrain Mark and Aregbesola from parading themselves as National Chairman and National Secretary of the party.
ADC rejects judgment, cites conflicting ruling
The ADC, however, described Thursday’s judgment as another desperate attempt to cripple opposition and deny Nigerians right to choose their leaders in forthcoming general elections.
In a statement signed by National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party said the timing of judgment, barely 24 hours after massive turnout at ADC presidential campaign rally in Sokoto, exposed what it considered growing desperation of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
“We have reasons to believe that judgment had long been written on this case. Sokoto rally was simply trigger that stampeded its delivery. Yesterday, Nigerians came out in their hundreds of thousands to demonstrate their support for ADC and our promise of making life affordable for them. Today, they are being told that party that they support and candidates that they have supported at all levels could be erased by stroke of reckless judicial pen,” ADC said.
“Do these people understand what they are playing with? This is not about Atiku Abubakar or David Mark. It is about democratic rights of Nigerians to freely choose their own leaders. It is about rights of thousands of candidates to participate in democratic process,” it said.
ADC maintained that judgment is legally indefensible and would be challenged through every available judicial process.
“ADC, therefore, rejects any consequential orders founded on determination that appears to disregard these fundamental legal principles. However, we await Certified True Copy (CTC) of said judgment to ascertain its precise terms, scope and operative orders,” it added.
“We warn APC: do not play with fires you cannot control. Peace and stability of Nigeria are bigger than ambition of any president or political party. Nobody should be so desperate to retain power that they are prepared to put entire country at risk. This is not time to play silly games with stability of this country,” it said.
ADC called on judiciary not to allow itself to be used in foisting dictatorship on Nigeria.
Judgment timed to weaken my Northern support —Atiku
While condemning the judgment in his reaction, Atiku also described it as a calculated attempt to weaken the ADC and frustrate his candidacy.
In a statement issued by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Atiku said the timing of the judgment was telling.
He said: “It came barely a day after a mammoth crowd turned out in Sokoto to welcome him and attend the launch of the ADC campaign.
“The people of Sokoto came out in their thousands because they are hungry for change and believe in our promise to make life affordable again. What we witnessed in Sokoto is only the beginning. The people of Kebbi will have their say, and so will Nigerians across the country as our campaign moves forward,” Atiku said.
“We urge our supporters to remain resolute, take our message from house to house and door to door, and stay peaceful and focused. There is no shaking,” he said.
Obi urges judiciary to protect opposition parties, warns against electoral uncertainty
Also reacting to the judgment, the Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, urged the judiciary to protect Nigeria’s democracy by ensuring that opposition parties are not weakened through prolonged legal disputes ahead of the 2027 general elections.
In a statement titled ‘Do not Undermine Democracy’, the former Anambra State governor said he received the news of the judgment with shock, describing the development as unsettling, particularly with the general elections approaching.
Although Obi said he did not challenge the authority of the court to determine disputes according to the law, the NDC candidate expressed concern over the uncertainty surrounding political parties and their candidates months before the presidential election.
Obi also alleged that the ruling APC was engineering the instability to restrict opposition activities and weaken the space for robust electoral campaigns.
He also alleged that similar tactics had been deployed against him in the Labour Party, adding that opposition campaigns had continued to face politically motivated violence.
“One mark of democracy is that at all times, it is voters and not courts that choose leaders,” he said.
He said Nigeria’s democracy should be strengthened, particularly amid the resurgence of military rule in some West African countries.
“This is a time to strengthen our democracy by allowing the opposition to thrive,” he said.
Sowore alleges plot to stifle opposition ahead of 2027
Also reacting, the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, condemned the judgment, alleging that coordinated court litigations are being deployed to weaken opposition parties ahead of the 2027 general elections.
In a post on his verified X account on Thursday, Sowore described the legal battles confronting opposition parties, culminating in the judgment against the ADC, as an orchestrated attempt to destabilise political contenders.
“The court cases against political parties, at this point, the ADC, are part of Tinubu’s strategic plans to confuse and dissuade Nigerians seeking to run against him. For some, his strategy is to use the courts, where his henchman, Nyesom Wike, pulls the strings,” Sowore claimed.
The activist further alleged that state actors were prepared to combine judicial challenges and administrative pressure to weaken political alternatives before the ballot.
He maintained that the removal of party leadership structures by the courts has become a disturbing pattern aimed at dismantling competitive politics ahead of the 2027 polls.
SDP faults court ruling against Mark-led ADC
In the same vein, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) while condemning the judgment declared that the party would resist any action capable of undermining democracy and denying Nigerians the opportunity to freely choose their leader.
The National Chairman of the Party, Prof Sadiq Gombe, warned that members who participated in the alleged rainbow coalition would face disciplinary action once identified
According to him: “We condemn the so-called disqualification of the ADC leadership and presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar. This is a democracy. We want Nigerians to be allowed to freely exercise their franchise.
“If a political party presents a candidate, it has the right to do that. We will not allow anything that will truncate our democracy because we have come a long way in this journey.”
According to him, “So, we have taken a stand that as much as we are not part of anything to do with rainbow coalition, sanctions and other disciplinary measures await any member of our party who engages in it.”
The meeting was organised to enable the party’s leadership and governorship candidates to assess their preparedness and develop strategies ahead of the 2027 elections.
The Party also urged the INEC to make public without further delay the authentic voters register for forthcoming general elections for proper scrutiny by the members of the public
Source: tribuneonlineng.com
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