Supporters of the presidential candidate of the African democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar are protesting at the Federal High Court in Abuja demanding the release of the certified true copies of the judgement by Justice Peter Lifu that nullified his candidature in the forthcoming 2027 general election.
Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja has dissolved the Senator David Mark-led executives of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and nullified all actions taken by them on behalf of the party, Channels TV reports.
•The protesters
The measures included the nomination of former Vise President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections.
Atiku, who was earlier published by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as a contender for the presidential poll, has since then picked a former Governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, as his running partner.
But the Senator Mark-led Caretaker Committee of the ADC that conducted the primary election that produced Atiku as the party’s presidential flag bearer was found unconstitutional by the court in a judgement given on Thursday by Justice Peter Lifu.
The court found merit in a claim filed before it by dissatisfied former National Deputy Chairman (North-East) of the party, Nafiu Bala Gombe.
Gombe has asked the court to dispute the method via which the Senator Mark-led Committee assumed the reins of leadership of the party.
“With the resignation of the former National Chairman, Chief Ralph Nwosu, there is a qualification for me to take over the leadership of the party,” he said.
Among other things, he requested the court to annul all activities taken on behalf of the party by the Senator Mark-led leadership.
The complaint marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025 has the ADC, INEC, Senator Mark, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and Chief Ralph Nwosu as defendants.
The plaintiff further prayed the court to prohibit Senator Mark and Aregbesola from parading themselves as the National Chairman and Secretary respectively of the ADC, contending that their appearance breached the party’s constitution and the requirements of the Electoral Act.
The court granted the reliefs sought by the plaintiff, a decision that could trigger a wave of reactions in the polity, ahead of the presidential election set for January 16, 2027.
The ADC has already promised to challenge the ruling.
The National Welfare Secretary of the ADC, Nkemakolam Ukandu who was later joined as an interested party in the lawsuit, reacting to the outcome of the case, stated the verdict would be challenged at the appeal court.
The unhappy protesters in a development today stated that the delay in the release of the CTC to Atiku’s counsel is a plot to deny him his rights to appeal the judgement which dismissed the former vice president as the presidential candidate of the ADC. TrackExec Orders
Apart from submitting their petition at the Federal High Court, the demonstrators also said that they would head to the US Embassy and the United Nations to submit the same petition and seek for their interventions.
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