“Tinubu Is In Panic” — Atiku’s Aide, Analyst Blast Court Ruling Against ADC

An aide to former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, Ademola Olarewaju, and political analyst, Hamma Hayatu, have criticised the Federal High Court judgment nullifying the leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the process that produced Atiku as the party’s 2027 presidential candidate.

The reactions followed Thursday’s judgment by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, which nullified the emergence of the Senator David Mark-led national leadership of the ADC and decisions taken by the leadership, including the nomination of candidates for the 2027 general elections.

Reacting to the development, Olarewaju accused President Bola Tinubu of being unsettled by Atiku’s growing political influence, suggesting that the legal battle was connected to concerns over the former vice-president’s presidential ambition.

In a post, Atiku’s aide drew an analogy between abortion and the killing of a child after birth to criticise what he described as an attempt to undermine an already established political process.

“Only an unborn foetus of certain months can be aborted, and nobody will know.

“If the baby is born and you kill it, it becomes murder, and you’re a murderer,” he wrote.

Olarewaju added, “I’ve never seen a Bola Tinubu this jittery before ever in his political life since PRIMROSE 1992 – Atiku scared him bad.”

Also reacting, political analyst Hamma Hayatu questioned the basis of Justice Lifu’s decision, arguing that another judge of the Federal High Court had previously ruled on the ADC leadership dispute.

He maintained that the judgment delivered by Justice Musa Liman on July 2 should guide the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in recognising the Mark-led leadership.

“A court of coordinate jurisdiction led by Justice Liman have trashed this case, as such I do not expect INEC to waste their time on this jankara judgement by Lifu,” Hayatu said.

He further argued that the conflicting decisions raised concerns about judicial consistency, calling on the National Judicial Council (NJC) to investigate the conduct of any judge found to have acted improperly.

“Courts of parallel jurisdictions giving different rulings even after appellate court had ruled on the matter. NJC needs to take appropriate disciplinary action against any erring judge.

“Justice Lifu is erring obviously,” he added.

Background To Atiku-ADC Court Dispute

The latest legal controversy is the culmination of a prolonged leadership dispute within the ADC following the emergence of former Senate President David Mark as national chairman and former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola as national secretary.

In 2025, Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former deputy national chairman of the party, challenged the emergence of the Mark-led leadership, arguing that he was entitled to take over following the resignation of former national chairman, Ralph Nwosu.

Gombe subsequently approached the Federal High Court in Abuja in suit FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025, seeking to restrain Mark and Aregbesola from parading themselves as national officers.

On April 2026, the Supreme Court set aside an interlocutory order in the dispute and directed the Federal High Court to conclude proceedings on the substantive case.

However, on July 2, 2026, Justice Musa Liman of the Federal High Court dismissed a separate suit filed by House of Representatives member Leke Abejide challenging the emergence of the Mark-led leadership.

Justice Liman held that the dispute concerned an internal party matter over which the court lacked jurisdiction. He also ruled that the plaintiff lacked the necessary legal standing and had failed to exhaust the party’s internal dispute-resolution mechanisms.

The Mark-led ADC subsequently maintained that the judgment affirmed its leadership and strengthened its position ahead of the 2027 elections.

Atiku emerged as the party’s presidential candidate in May 2026, positioning himself for another attempt at the presidency after losing the 2023 election to Tinubu.

However, on November 5, 2026, Justice Peter Lifu delivered judgment in Gombe’s substantive suit, declaring the emergence of the Mark-led leadership unconstitutional and nullifying decisions taken by the executives, including the nomination of candidates for the 2027 elections.

The ruling has thrown the party’s preparations for the general elections into uncertainty, with the fate of 1,503 candidates reportedly affected.

Atiku has rejected the judgment and vowed to challenge it at the Court of Appeal, while his campaign council said its lawyers were preparing to seek a stay of execution.

The ADC has also rejected the ruling, describing it as an attempt to weaken the opposition ahead of the 2027 elections.

The party’s leadership dispute has therefore raised fresh questions about the status of its candidates and which of the conflicting judicial decisions INEC should recognise.