The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has vowed to challenge the Federal High Court judgment invalidating its leadership structure and the emergence of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar as its presidential candidate for the 2027 general election.
The party accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of attempting to weaken the opposition, alleging that the development could undermine Nigeria’s democratic process.
The controversy followed a judgment delivered on Thursday by a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, where Justice Peter Lifu declared the David Mark-led caretaker committee illegal and nullified decisions taken by the committee.
The affected decisions included Atiku’s nomination as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2027 elections.
The ruling was delivered in a suit filed by Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former national deputy chairman of the ADC, who challenged the emergence of Mark and other members of the caretaker committee following the resignation of former national chairman, Ralph Nwosu.
Bala had argued that he was constitutionally entitled to assume leadership of the party after Nwosu’s departure.
However, reacting to the development, ADC spokesperson, Bolaji Abdullahi, accused the APC of exploiting the judiciary to frustrate opposition parties and restrict Nigerians’ political choices.
In a statement, Abdullahi described the judgment as a “desperate attempt to cripple the opposition”, arguing that its timing, coming shortly after the ADC’s presidential rally in Sokoto, raised serious concerns.
He alleged that the ruling had been prepared in advance and that the massive turnout at the rally influenced the timing of its delivery.
“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 said.
The party maintained that the matter went beyond Atiku and Mark, insisting that the judgment threatened the political rights of its members and other candidates seeking elective positions.
Abdullahi said the ADC would explore every available legal option to challenge the ruling, which he described as legally indefensible.
He also accused the APC of becoming uncomfortable with the growing strength of the opposition and called on the ruling party to allow Nigerians to freely determine their political future through credible elections.
In a strongly worded warning, the spokesperson said political interests should not be allowed to endanger the country’s stability.
“The peace and stability of Nigeria are bigger than the ambition of any president or political party. Nobody should be so desperate to retain power that they are prepared to put the entire country at risk,” he said.
Abdullahi further questioned the ruling party’s confidence in its electoral prospects, asking why it would fear competition if Nigerians were satisfied with its policies and candidates.
He, however, called on ADC members to remain peaceful and law-abiding while the party pursues its legal battle against the judgment.
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