BY AHMED AKANBI
The New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) has faulted attempts to blame President Bola Tinubu and the Presidency for the court judgment that upended Atiku Abubakar’s 2027 ambition on the platform of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
The party said the accusations are unnecessary, and will neither overturn the judgment nor fix the leadership crisis tearing the opposition party apart.
The NNPP also insisted that those who sued the ADC leadership are Nigerians with equal right to participate in the 2027 general elections.
Its position was contained in a statement issued on Monday by its Board of Trustees Chairman and founder, Dr Boniface Aniebonam.
Aniebonam urged Nigerians to assess the judgment objectively, rather than through political interests, and warned against painting every unfavourable court decision as evidence of Presidential interference.
He argued that the political implications of a judgment do not automatically mean it was influenced by government, adding that allegations of executive interference must be backed by credible evidence.
According to him, there is a clear difference between disagreeing with the reasoning behind a judgment and questioning the integrity of the judge who delivered it.
The NNPP founder said political disagreements must not be used to undermine public confidence in the judiciary, stressing that legitimate concerns should be pursued through established legal channels.
The Federal High Court in Abuja had on November 5 nullified the ADC leadership led by former Senate President David Mark and invalidated decisions taken under the caretaker committee.
The judgment, delivered by Justice Peter Lifu, also affected the process that produced Atiku as the party’s presidential candidate for 2027, as well as the emergence of former Interior Minister Rauf Aregbesola as National Secretary.
The ruling followed a suit filed by former ADC Deputy National Chairman, North-East, Nafiu Bala Gombe, who challenged how Mark and other members of the caretaker committee took control of the party.
Aniebonam advised the ADC leadership to explore legal options, including taking the matter to the Supreme Court or seeking a stay of execution to preserve its chances in the forthcoming elections.
He recalled that the NNPP also faced prolonged leadership disputes in court but never accused the Presidency of influencing the outcome.
The party, he said, pursued its case through the judicial process until INEC recognised its leadership in compliance with court orders.
He urged political parties to build internal mechanisms for resolving disputes, particularly those arising from primaries, instead of allowing every disagreement to degenerate into litigation.
Aniebonam also appealed to the media and political commentators to avoid inflammatory statements capable of creating tension or damaging Nigeria’s image before the international community.
He said the country needs responsible public discourse as political activities gather momentum ahead of 2027, and urged leaders to place national unity and peace above personal and partisan interests.