By John Azu
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of attempting to cripple the opposition and deny Nigerians the right to freely choose their leaders in the forthcoming general elections.
The party described Thursday’s judgment of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which sacked its National Chairman, Senator David Mark, as a desperate move allegedly driven by the APC’s fear of growing opposition support.
The court, in a suit filed by the party’s aggrieved Deputy National Chairman (North-East), Nafiu Bala Gombe, ruled that the process through which Mark and other members of the National Working Committee (NWC), including National Secretary Rauf Aregbesola, emerged was unconstitutional.
The ruling also affected all candidates of the party, including its presidential candidate, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar.
In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC alleged that the judgment was influenced by the APC following the massive crowd that attended its campaign rally in Sokoto on Wednesday.
“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.
“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,” Abdullahi said.
The ADC questioned whether those behind the judgment had considered its far-reaching implications for the country, warning that the attempt to invalidate the party’s leadership could affect thousands of candidates seeking elective offices 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 added.
The party maintained that the judgment was legally indefensible and vowed to challenge it through every available judicial process.
It said its objection was anchored on an earlier judgment delivered by Justice Musa Liman of the same Federal High Court on July 2, 2026, in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1637/2025, which affirmed the legitimacy of the David Mark-led NWC and directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise the leadership.
According to the ADC, 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 ADC, therefore, rejects any consequential orders founded on a determination that appears to disregard these fundamental legal principles. However, we await the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the said judgment to ascertain its precise terms, scope and operative orders,” the party said.
It further accused the APC of repeatedly using the courts to weaken opposition parties whenever they pose a threat to its political interests.
“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.
“But the millions of Nigerians that are hungry and waiting for them at the ballot box see right through them and will not sit down in silence while our democracy is taken away by the courts,” the statement said.
The ADC warned that the APC was playing a dangerous game capable of triggering a crisis beyond its control, insisting that the peace and stability of Nigeria were more important than the political ambitions of any president or 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 party added: “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 ADC also urged the judiciary not to allow itself to be used to foist dictatorship on the country, describing the situation as an ill wind that blows nobody any good.
It, however, called on its members across the country to remain calm and law-abiding while the party pursues all available legal options to challenge the judgment.