The African Democratic Congress, ADC, has rejected the Federal High Court judgment sacking the leadership of Senator David Mark and invalidating the party’s candidates for the 2027 general elections.
The party also warned the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, and the judiciary against actions capable of destabilising the country.
In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC described the judgment delivered by Justice Peter Lifu as a desperate attempt to cripple the opposition and deny Nigerians the right to freely choose their leaders in the forthcoming elections.
The party said the timing of the judgment, barely 24 hours after its presidential campaign rally in Sokoto, exposed what it described as the growing desperation of the APC.
“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,” the statement said.
The ADC said Nigerians who turned out in large numbers to demonstrate support for the party were now being confronted with an attempt to undermine their political choices.
“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,” it added.
The party argued that the judgment went beyond the political interests of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Mark, warning that it could affect thousands of candidates seeking elective positions at the local, state and federal levels.
“Do these people understand what they are playing with? This is not about Atiku Abubakar or David Mark. It is about the democratic rights of Nigerians to freely choose their own leaders. It is about the rights of thousands of candidates to participate in a democratic process,” the statement said.
Questioning the legal basis of the judgment, the ADC cited an earlier ruling by Justice Musa Liman of the same Federal High Court, delivered on July 2, 2026, in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1637/2025.
According to the party, the earlier judgment affirmed the legitimacy of the David Mark-led National Working Committee and directed the Independent National Electoral Commission to recognise the leadership
“It is a settled principle of Nigerian jurisprudence that a court of coordinate jurisdiction cannot sit on appeal over, review, vary or nullify the subsisting judgment of another court of equal jurisdiction,” the statement said.
The ADC, however, said it was awaiting the Certified True Copy of the latest judgment to establish its precise terms, scope and operative orders.
It vowed to challenge the decision through all available judicial processes, alleging that similar tactics had previously been deployed against opposition parties.
“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,” the party alleged.
The opposition party also accused the APC of attempting to eliminate political competition through judicial controversies.
“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.
“Nobody should be so desperate to retain power that they are prepared to put the entire country at risk. This is not the time to play silly games with the stability of this country,” it said.
The ADC challenged President Bola Tinubu and the APC to submit themselves to free and fair elections if they were confident in their performance and popularity.
“Nigeria belongs to Nigerians, not to the APC.
The presidency is not an inheritance. If the President thinks he has performed well in office, why is he afraid of competition? If the APC thinks that its policies and candidates are popular, why don’t they subject themselves to free and fair elections?” the statement queried.
The party also urged the judiciary not to allow itself to be used to impose what it described as dictatorship on the country.
“This is not just about the ADC or Atiku Abubakar; it is an ill wind that blows nobody any good,” it added.
The ADC urged its members nationwide to remain calm and law-abiding while the party pursues all available legal avenues to challenge the judgment.
(Daily Nigerian)
