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.