The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of attempting to destabilise Nigeria through judicial controversies following the Federal High Court judgment that nullified the Senator David Mark-led leadership of the party and invalidated the process that produced former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as its 2027 presidential candidate.
The opposition party, in a statement issued on Thursday, November 5, 2026, by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, 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.
The ADC alleged that the timing of the ruling, barely 24 hours after its massive presidential campaign rally in Sokoto, exposed what it called the growing desperation of the APC over the opposition’s rising political momentum.
“We have reasons to believe that the judgment had long been written on this case. The Sokoto rally was simply a trigger that stamped a stampede 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 party questioned the implications of the judgment for the country’s democratic process, warning that its consequences could extend beyond Atiku and Mark to thousands of ADC candidates contesting elections 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 ADC maintained that the judgment was legally indefensible and vowed to challenge it through every available judicial process.
The party anchored its objection on a previous 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 it said affirmed the legitimacy of the Mark-led National Working Committee and directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise the leadership.
It argued that a court of coordinate jurisdiction could not review, vary or nullify a subsisting judgment delivered by 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,” Abdullahi stated.
The party further accused the APC of using judicial controversies to undermine opposition parties whenever they gain political momentum.
“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,” it said.
The ADC warned the ruling party against pursuing what it described as a dangerous attempt to eliminate political competition through judicial proceedings, cautioning that the consequences could threaten national peace and stability.
“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,” Abdullahi said.
The party also questioned the APC’s confidence in its electoral popularity, insisting that the presidency should not be treated as an inheritance.
“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 read.
The ADC called on the judiciary to resist any attempt to use the courts to impose what it described as a dictatorship on the country.
“This is not just about the ADC or Atiku Abubakar; it is an ill wind that blows nobody any good,” the party said.
The opposition party urged its members nationwide to remain calm and law-abiding while pursuing all legal avenues to challenge the judgment.
