ADC Finally Gets Lifu’s Judgement CTC, Reveals Next Move

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has finally received the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the Federal High Court judgement that nullified the leadership of the party under Senator David Mark, with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar directing his legal team to examine the ruling and determine the next line of action.

The development comes after days of waiting by the opposition party, which had complained that the delay in releasing the judgement was preventing it from exercising its constitutional right to appeal the decision.

Politics Nigeria reports that the CTC was released on Wednesday, the final day of the seven-day period allowed by the Constitution for parties to obtain authenticated copies of court decisions.

ADC’s Director of Strategic Communication, Phrank Shaibu, confirmed the development in a statement.

He said the party had finally received the document signed by Justice Peter Lifu, who delivered the controversial judgement on November 5, 2026.

According to Shaibu, the timing of the release had created difficulties for the party, particularly as it needed sufficient time to examine the court’s reasoning and prepare its legal response.

He said, ‘’Justice Peter Lifu has finally released the duly authenticated copy of his judgement, on the final day of the seven-day period prescribed by the constitution.

“Releasing a consequential judgement on the last permitted day leaves the African Democratic Congress with precious little time to study it and prepare its next legal steps in line with Section 294(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

The party maintained that Section 294(1) of the 1999 Constitution requires courts to provide parties with authenticated copies of their decisions within seven days of delivery.

ADC said it would now study the judgement and pursue every available legal option to challenge the decision.

‘’The ADC will study the judgment and pursue every lawful remedy available. But the timing of the release raises serious concern, especially as our party continues to face actions that obstruct its campaign and political consultations.”

Meanwhile, Senator Dino Melaye has disclosed that Atiku’s name was not mentioned in the judgement, dismissing claims that the former vice president had been directly affected by the court’s decision.

Melaye made the clarification in a post on his official Facebook page shortly after the party obtained the document.

He wrote. “We have just received the Certified True Copy of the Justice Lifu’s judgement. Nowhere in the judgement is Atiku Abubakar’s name or any other candidate’s name mentioned. All the propaganda and lies of APC have expired. Atiku Abubakar is coming.”

The statement appears to be part of the party’s response to concerns surrounding the possible implications of the judgement for its candidates ahead of the 2027 general election.

The Federal High Court had voided the emergence of David Mark as ADC National Chairman and questioned the validity of actions taken under his leadership, including the nomination of candidates for the forthcoming elections.

The ruling consequently raised questions about the party’s leadership structure and the status of candidates seeking elective offices under its platform.

Before obtaining the CTC, ADC candidates had already begun taking diplomatic steps to draw attention to the delay and seek intervention from international institutions.

The Forum of ADC Candidates reportedly submitted petitions to the United Nations, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the President of the Court of Appeal and the Nigerian Bar Association.

Other institutions approached included the ECOWAS Commission, the United States, the European Union and the United Kingdom High Commission.

The candidates called for respect for the party’s constitutional right to appeal and urged the relevant institutions to ensure that no action was taken to exclude its candidates while legal proceedings remained open.

Speaking during one of the visits, the group’s leader, Aliyu Audu, said the petitions were intended to draw international attention to what the candidates considered a threat to democratic competition.

Audu argued that the right to challenge a court decision should not be undermined by administrative delays, particularly when the outcome could affect the participation of opposition candidates in a general election.

He said, ‘’We’re here to submit a letter to the United Nations, drawing your attention and appealing that you use all possible diplomatic options to get the government to obey the law, let democracy thrive. I mean, there is no democracy if there is no competition.

‘’If you take the option of the court away from the people, it’s just going to end up being coronation and not democracy. The country is already fragile enough. The 27 years of democracy untruncated, that we’ve celebrated in Nigeria, that is still the hope of democracy in Africa.

‘’We are the most populous democracy in Africa as it is and the actions of the president and the government of the day through abuse of the judicial process and the various institutions does not in any way show that they are interested in upholding this democracy.

“And we are not going to let them get away with it. So, we are going to exhaust every available legal means of seeking redress. But the bottom line is they won’t get away with it. Whatever way they want it; we are very prepared for it.”

Audu further insisted that the candidates would remain in Nigeria and continue pursuing their legal rights, regardless of the challenges facing the party.

The document also raised concerns about the possibility of INEC implementing the judgement while an appeal was still pending.

The candidates urged international institutions to encourage Nigerian authorities to respect due process, maintain neutrality and protect the right of citizens to participate in elections.

At the United Nations, the petition was received by Suzanne Su, Head of the Resident Coordinating Office, alongside Ronald Kayanja, Head of the UN Information Centre, and Mahmoud Sinasi, Deputy Head of Security.

The UN representatives acknowledged receipt of the document, although no immediate response was issued regarding the demands contained in the petition.

Former ADC National Chairman, Ralph Nwosu, has also maintained that the party has sufficient legal grounds to challenge Justice Lifu’s ruling.

Nwosu, who spoke during an appearance on ARISE News, accused INEC and the judiciary of playing roles in the crisis surrounding the party’s leadership.

He argued that an earlier judgement by another court of equal jurisdiction had recognised the process that produced David Mark as ADC National Chairman.

According to him, the existence of the earlier ruling raised questions about the basis of the subsequent decision.

Nwosu said, “Therefore, every process that David Mark has conducted or will conduct in the future are legal and binding. A court of the same standard cannot rule otherwise. And if they do, the first one will prevail.”

He maintained that the party was prepared to defend its position before the appropriate judicial authorities.

The former chairman also explained that ADC had decided to pursue an appeal despite his reservations about the latest judgement.

He said, “Ordinarily, we would not think of appealing the case, because another court of equal jurisdiction has passed judgement in favour of ADC, but the ADC Chairman, David Mark, is an upright and credible man, and he is a very disciplined person, showing discipline in the party and in all he’s done. That’s why we are going to appeal the case.

“I know that in the courts, we have very good quality lawyers. But for somebody like Justice Peter Lifu to disqualify ADC, and ruled in his court that ADC was deregistered when there was no basis for that, even more so when the appeal court had said, stay action, let’s look at the matter.”

Nwosu further alleged that the ruling came at a time when the opposition party was gaining political attention ahead of the 2027 elections.

He added, “We want to open a gallery to shame the INEC, to shame the judiciary, and that will begin very soon.”

Beyond the legal battle, ADC has also accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of attempting to frustrate its political activities in different parts of the country.

The latest allegation concerns the sealing of Arewa House in Kaduna, which the opposition party had selected as the venue for Atiku’s consultation with northern stakeholders scheduled for Thursday.

ADC described the development as an attempt to prevent its presidential candidate from meeting political leaders and other stakeholders in the region.

The party argued that Arewa House represented an important part of northern Nigeria’s heritage and should not be used to restrict political engagement.

Atiku also reacted to the development, insisting that the decision would not discourage him or his supporters from continuing their political activities.

He said, “My campaign team had proposed the Arewa House as the venue for our consultation with stakeholders on Thursday and, today, the APC government decided to seal the building.

‘’This is a troubling pattern. During our campaign flag-off in Sokoto, the APC government also tried to frustrate us. The people stood firm, and their will prevailed.”

The former vice president accused the APC-led government of using public authority to obstruct opposition activities.

ADC stated, ‘’We hold President Bola Tinubu and the APC politically responsible for this pattern of obstruction. An outgoing president and a ruling party should respect democratic competition, not use public authority to impede the opposition, restrict political consultation, or weaken Nigerians’ right to choose.

‘’We will not be intimidated. We thank Nigerians across the country for their massive support, solidarity and encouragement. Your resolve strengthens ours. The ADC will continue its consultations, pursue its legal rights, and take its message of a new direction to the people.’

In another development, the ADC Presidential Campaign Council has criticised the alleged distribution of money, food and other gifts by APC officials at political gatherings.

The council accused the ruling party of attempting to attract support through financial inducements rather than addressing the economic difficulties facing Nigerians.

In a statement issued by Shaibu, the campaign council called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and INEC to investigate the reported incidents and take appropriate action where electoral or financial laws had been breached.

The council also questioned why ordinary Nigerians could face prosecution over alleged abuse of the naira while similar allegations involving political gatherings were not receiving the same attention.

It said, ‘’At a time when millions of Nigerians are struggling to afford food, transport and basic necessities, flaunting wads of cash at political gatherings is an insult to their hardship.

“It exposes a ruling party that has lost the confidence of the people and is now relying on inducements to create the appearance of enthusiasm.”

The campaign council maintained that political support should be determined by the choices of voters rather than the distribution of money and gifts.

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