Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has condemned a federal high court judgment nullifying the leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), describing the ruling as a calculated attempt to weaken the party and frustrate his presidential candidacy.
In a statement issued on Thursday by Phrank Shaibu, director
of strategic communication of the ADC presidential campaign council, Atiku said
the timing of the judgment, barely a day after a crowd welcomed him at the
party’s campaign rally in Sokoto, was not coincidental.
The court, presided over by Peter Lifu, upheld a suit filed
by Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former national deputy chairman of the ADC, challenging
the process through which Mark and other members of the caretaker committee
assumed control of the party following the resignation of Ralph Nwosu, its
former national chairman.
Reacting to the ruling, Atiku said the Sokoto rally
demonstrated the desire of Nigerians for a change in leadership and support for
his campaign’s promise to make life affordable.
“The people of Sokoto came out in their thousands because
they are hungry for change and believe in our promise to make life affordable
again,” he said.
“What we witnessed in Sokoto is only the beginning. The
people of Kebbi will have their say, and so will Nigerians across the country
as our campaign moves forward.”
The ADC presidential candidate said his candidacy is not
limited to northern Nigeria, adding that the economic challenges facing the
country cut across regional boundaries.
“My roots are in Northern Nigeria, but my candidacy belongs
to all Nigerians. There is a difference between being from the North and being
a candidate only for the North. Hunger and hardship do not respect regional
boundaries,” he said.
Atiku alleged that the judgment is part of a strategy to
weaken his support in the north and frustrate a campaign whose message is
striking a chord across the country.
“The timing of this judgment is no coincidence. It is part
of a strategy to weaken my support in the North and frustrate a campaign whose
message is resonating across the country,” he said.
“But the ruling party’s greatest miscalculation is to assume
that my support ends in the North. What we saw in Sokoto, what we will see in
Kebbi and across the country, is the strength of a national movement.”
ATIKU QUESTIONS LEGAL BASIS OF JUDGMENT
Atiku also questioned the legal basis of the judgment,
citing an earlier ruling by Musa Liman, another judge of the federal high
court, in suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1637/2025.
He said Liman had dismissed the challenge to the Mark-led
leadership after upholding the defendants’ objections on jurisdiction, standing
and failure to exhaust internal party remedies, while resolving the substantive
issues in their favour.
“Why, after that judgment, was another case filed to reopen
the same dispute? This is a calculated attempt to circumvent a subsisting
judgment. We will challenge this judicial manoeuvre at the Court of Appeal,” he
said.
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