ADC members protest over delayed judgement nullifying Mark-led leadership

Members of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) have staged a protest at the Federal High Court in Abuja over the alleged refusal of Justice Peter Lifu to release the Certified True Copy (CTC) of a judgement that nullified the party’s National Working Committee.

The judgement in question invalidated the leadership of the former Senate President, David Mark, as the National Chairman of the party.

The protesters, who gathered at the court premises on Wednesday, accused the trial judge of deliberately withholding the judgement delivered on November 5. The group stated that the delay is frustrating their efforts to officially challenge the decision at the Court of Appeal before the election timetable expires.

Addressing the crowd, a former Acting Chairman of the ADC in the Federal Capital Territory, Yusuf Shehu Tijani, described the ruling as a sham and called on the National Judicial Council (NJC) to urgently intervene in the matter and compel the judge to release the document.

“Our reason for coming here today is what Justice Lifu is doing. He is holding on to the sham judgment he said he passed. He should send the CTC, so that we can get it and appeal the judgment,” Tijani said.

A formal petition dated November 10, signed by Audu Aliyu on behalf of the ADC candidates’ forum, had earlier been submitted to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho. The candidates stated that their legal team applied for the CTC immediately after the ruling and paid the prescribed fees, but have been denied access after repeated visits to the registry.

“We disagree with the judgment. We have a constitutional right to appeal it. But we cannot appeal what we do not have,” the petition.

The controversy originated from a suit filed by Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former Deputy National Chairman of the ADC, which led to the court invalidating all decisions taken under Mark’s leadership. This includes the process that produced former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections.

Despite not having the CTC, the ADC has officially filed a notice of appeal and applied for a stay of execution. The party is urging the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to maintain the status quo pending the outcome of the appeal.