The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has condemned a Federal High Court judgment delivered by Justice Peter Lifu, which purportedly sacked the party’s National Working Committee led by Senator David Mark and invalidated the presidential candidacy of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
In a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of orchestrating the ruling to cripple the opposition.
The ADC alleged that the timing of the judgment coming barely 24 hours after a massive campaign turnout in Sokoto exposes panic within the ruling party over growing public support for the opposition.
The ADC questioned the far-reaching implications of the ruling on thousands of candidates contesting across local, state, and federal levels, framing the decision as a direct attack on the democratic rights of Nigerians to freely choose their leaders.
Maintaining that the judgment is legally indefensible, the party announced plans to challenge it through all available judicial channels.
The statement highlighted a conflicting and subsisting ruling delivered on July 2, 2026, by Justice Musa Liman in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1637/2025, which affirmed the legitimacy of the David Mark-led leadership and ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognize them.
Citing established legal principles, the ADC noted that a court of coordinate jurisdiction cannot overrule or nullify the judgment of another court of equal standing, adding that it awaits the Certified True Copy of the latest ruling to determine its precise scope.
Concluding the statement, the ADC warned the APC against attempting to eliminate political competition through judicial maneuvers, urging the ruling party to rely on free and fair elections rather than actions that could threaten the peace and stability of the country.
