* APC plotting to cripple opposition, says Party
* Ruling party’s jittery over growing ADC popularity
* Judgement unsettling, surprising — Obi
By Ahmed Akanbi And Hosea Parah
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of plotting to cripple the country’s opposition ahead of the 2027 general elections, following the controversial sack of its presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, by the court.
Reacting to the development, the ADC claimed the ruling party is jittery over the growing momentum of the opposition, just as the former Vice President has declared “there’s no shaking, campaign continues.”
This was even as the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has condemned the judgment as “unsettling and surprising.”
In a statement, on Thursday, by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party condemned the Federal High Court judgment by Justice Peter Lifu in Abuja affecting its leadership.
The ADC said the judgment, delivered barely 24 hours after its presidential campaign rally in Sokoto, showed the APC was rattled by its growing influence.
It said the judgment purportedly targeted the Senator David Mark-led leadership and the political interests of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, with implications for thousands of its candidates across the country.
The party insisted the issue goes beyond Atiku and Mark, stressing that it concerns the democratic rights of Nigerians to participate in elections.
“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,” Abdullahi said.
The ADC cited an earlier judgment on July 2, 2026, by Justice Musa Liman in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1637/2025, which affirmed the Mark-led National Working Committee and ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise it.
It argued that a court of coordinate jurisdiction cannot sit on appeal over, review, vary or nullify a subsisting judgment of another court of equal jurisdiction.
The party said it is awaiting the Certified True Copy to determine the precise terms and consequential orders of the latest judgment.
It vowed to challenge the judgment through all available judicial channels and warned against eliminating political competition through judicial controversies.
The ADC cautioned the APC against actions capable of threatening Nigeria’s peace and democratic stability, insisting power must be won through free and fair elections, not court disputes.
It urged the judiciary to resist political influence and appealed to its members nationwide to remain calm and law-abiding while it pursues legal remedies.
While condemning Thursday’s court judgment on the removal of Senator David Mark’s leadership of the party, Atiku described it as a calculated attempt to weaken the ADC and frustrate his candidacy.
In a statement issued by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Atiku said the timing of the judgment was telling.
He said it came a day after a mammoth crowd turned out in Sokoto to welcome him and attend the launch of the ADC campaign.
“The people of Sokoto came out in their thousands because they are hungry for change and believe in our promise to make life affordable again. What we witnessed in Sokoto is only the beginning. The people of Kebbi will have their say, and so will Nigerians across the country as our campaign moves forward.”
“My roots are in Northern Nigeria, but my candidacy belongs to all Nigerians. There is a difference between being from the North and being a candidate only for the North. Hunger and hardship do not respect regional boundaries. Nigerians across the country are suffering under this government, and they deserve a leader with a credible plan to make life affordable again.
“The timing of this judgment is no coincidence. It is part of a strategy to weaken my support in the North and frustrate a campaign whose message is resonating across the country. But the ruling party’s greatest miscalculation is to assume that my support ends in the North. What we saw in Sokoto, what we will see in Kebbi and across the country, is the strength of a national movement.”
Atiku said the judgment also raises serious legal concerns.
“Justice Musa Liman of the same Federal High Court had already dismissed the challenge to the David Mark-led leadership in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1637/2025. The court upheld the defendants’ objections on jurisdiction, standing and the failure to exhaust internal party remedies, and resolved the substantive issues in their favour. Why, after that judgment, was another case filed to reopen the same dispute? This is a calculated attempt to circumvent a subsisting judgment. We will challenge this judicial manoeuvre at the Court of Appeal.”
Atiku urged ADC supporters to remain calm and law-abiding and not to let the judgment weaken the momentum generated in Sokoto. The campaign train is already in Kebbi and will continue across the country.
“Our journey to rescue Nigeria from the hardship imposed by the APC government is a long one. Our Affordable Life campaign will continue because Nigerians deserve relief from this crushing cost-of-living crisis. We urge our supporters to remain resolute, take our message from house to house and door to door, and stay peaceful and focused. There is no shaking,” he added.
In his reaction, Obi expressed concern over the Federal High Court judgment nullifying the emergence of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar as the African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate for the 2027 general elections.
Obi said the ruling could create uncertainty for opposition parties ahead of the general elections, warning that developments affecting candidates and party structures could undermine voters’ choices.
He stated this in a post on his verified X account on Thursday, reacting to the judgment delivered by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The court had nullified the leadership of the ADC led by former Senate President David Mark and invalidated decisions taken under the leadership, including the process that produced Atiku as the party’s presidential candidate.
The judgment also affected the emergence of former Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, as the party’s National Secretary and the nominations of other candidates presented by the ADC for the 2027 elections.
Obi, who contested the 2023 presidential election on the platform of the Labour Party, said he received the news with shock, describing the development as unsettling.
“I have received with shock the news of an order by the Federal High Court in Abuja nullifying the emergence of the Chairman of the African Democratic Congress and all the actions he has taken. This is unsettling and surprising.
“I do not challenge the ruling of the court. The court of law is constituted to determine disputes according to the law.
“My concern is that three months before a general election, it is in the public interest to have certainty. It is not good to have too many uncertainties about candidates and parties a few weeks before a presidential election,” he wrote.
He said he was not challenging the court’s authority to determine disputes but argued that uncertainty surrounding opposition parties could affect the electoral process.
The former Anambra State governor alleged that the instability was being engineered by the ruling party, linking it to the crisis that affected his former party, the Labour Party.
He also accused the ruling party of using similar tactics to restrict civic space and frustrate opposition campaigns.
“One mark of democracy is that at all times, it is voters and not courts that choose leaders. I trust in the judiciary. As a public officer, I have shown deep respect for the judiciary,” Obi said.
He urged that the integrity of democracy be protected by ensuring that opposition parties and their candidates were not undermined ahead of elections.
Obi also referred to military takeovers in some West African countries, saying Nigeria should strengthen its democratic institutions by protecting opposition politics.
“The sustenance of democracy in Nigeria, in the midst of encroaching military rule in West Africa, should strengthen our resolve to protect opposition politics and not stamp out opposition parties,” he said.
He said he had promised that, if elected President, he would take a special interest in ensuring that opposition parties remained stable and that their candidates were not persecuted out of electoral contests.
Obi’s reaction comes amid a major political realignment ahead of the 2027 elections. He and Atiku were among opposition figures who joined the ADC coalition in 2025 in an effort to challenge President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid.
However, Obi and former Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso left the ADC in May 2026 and joined the NDC, citing concerns about internal party issues. Obi subsequently emerged as the NDC’s presidential candidate, with Kwankwaso as his running mate.
Atiku, meanwhile, emerged as the ADC’s presidential candidate in May 2026. The latest court ruling by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja has now invalidated the process that produced his candidacy.
The suit was filed by former ADC Deputy National Chairman, North East, Nafiu Bala Gombe, who challenged the process through which Mark and other members of the caretaker committee assumed control of the party.
Gombe argued that following the resignation of the party’s former National Chairman, Ralph Nwosu, he was constitutionally entitled to take over its leadership.
The court held that the emergence of the Mark-led leadership violated the ADC constitution, relevant provisions of the Electoral Act and the 1999 Constitution.
The ADC has said it will appeal the judgment, while Atiku has also vowed to challenge the ruling at the Court of Appeal.