Leadership Crisis: ADC Protesters Drag Justice Lifu To NJC, UN, Others

Members and candidates of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) on Wednesday staged a protest in Abuja over the delay in releasing the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the Federal High Court judgment nullifying the party’s National Working Committee led by Senator David Mark.

The protesters also extended their campaign to the National Judicial Council (NJC), United Nations (UN), European Union (EU), United States and United Kingdom diplomatic missions, submitting petitions seeking intervention over what they described as a threat to their constitutional right of appeal and democratic participation.

The protest followed the November 5 judgment delivered by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, which nullified Mark’s emergence as the party’s National Chairman and invalidated decisions taken under his leadership, including the process that produced candidates for the 2027 general elections.

Speaking during the protest, a former Acting Chairman of the ADC in the Federal Capital Territory, Yusuf Shehu Tijani, described the judgment as unacceptable and called on the NJC to intervene in the alleged delay in releasing its certified copy.

He said the party needed the document to pursue its appeal against the ruling, insisting that the continued delay was denying its members access to appellate justice.

Tijani also questioned the judgment’s implications for the party’s leadership, arguing that the Supreme Court had previously affirmed Mark’s leadership of the ADC.

He urged the judicial authorities to ensure that the certified judgment was released without further delay to enable the affected parties to exercise their legal rights.

The protest followed a petition dated November 10 by the Forum of ADC Candidates in Nigeria, which alleged that its lawyers applied for the CTC immediately after the judgment was delivered and paid the prescribed fees but had yet to obtain the document.

The candidates warned that the delay could undermine their constitutional right to appeal, particularly if relevant electoral deadlines expired before they could challenge the judgment.

In separate letters addressed to the diplomatic missions, the protesters appealed for international attention to what they described as the need to protect due process, the right of appeal and credible elections in Nigeria.

They urged the international community to encourage relevant Nigerian institutions to respect due process and ensure that the judgment was not implemented in a manner that could exclude ADC candidates from the 2027 elections while legal challenges remained pending.

The November 5 judgment arose from a suit filed by Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former Deputy National Chairman of the ADC, who challenged the process through which Mark and other members of the party’s caretaker leadership assumed control following the resignation of former National Chairman, Ralph Nwosu.

Justice Lifu also directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to recognise or act on decisions taken at the party’s 99th National Executive Committee meeting held on July 27, 2025.

The development has further deepened the leadership crisis in the opposition party as preparations for the 2027 general elections gather momentum.