PORT HARCOURT/Nigeria: Chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, has criticised the Federal High Court judgment nullifying the David Mark-led leadership of the party, describing the decision as a miscarriage of justice and warning against what he considers growing political interference in Nigeria’s democratic institutions.
Eze, a former National Publicity Secretary of the defunct New Peoples Democratic Party (nPDP), expressed his position in a statement issued on Monday, November 9, 2026, following the judgment delivered by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court, Abuja.
The judgment, delivered on November 5, nullified the leadership of the ADC under former Senate President David Mark and invalidated decisions taken by the party’s caretaker leadership, including the process that produced former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar as its presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections.
Reacting to the ruling, Eze dismissed the decision as unjust and politically motivated, expressing confidence that the legal challenge initiated by the ADC would eventually overturn its consequences.
He commended the party’s leadership for pursuing an appeal and urged members and supporters to remain calm, law-abiding and committed to their normal political activities while the legal process continues.
Describing the judgment as a troubling development for Nigeria’s democracy, Eze alleged that political interests were influencing judicial decisions, specifically accusing FCT Minister Nyesom Wike of having undue influence over the judge.
He, however, provided no independent evidence to substantiate the allegation.
The ADC chieftain also accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of attempting to weaken opposition parties ahead of the 2027 elections, arguing that a politically weakened opposition would undermine democratic competition.
According to him, the political future of Atiku and former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, remains intact despite the court’s decision.
Eze maintained that both politicians would feature on the ballot in the 2027 presidential election, insisting that efforts to prevent opposition parties from presenting credible alternatives would not succeed.
He further questioned what he described as the government’s growing intolerance of political opposition, arguing that Nigerians should have the opportunity to freely choose their leaders through a competitive electoral process.
On the judiciary, Eze called on the National Judicial Council (NJC) to pay closer attention to allegations of judicial misconduct and protect the credibility of the country’s justice system.
He warned that public confidence in the judiciary could suffer if judicial decisions were perceived to be influenced by political considerations.
While acknowledging the judiciary’s constitutional responsibility as an institution for dispensing justice, he argued that allegations of political interference involving judicial officers required serious attention.
Eze also appealed to Nigerians not to lose confidence in the country’s democratic process, urging citizens to resist any development capable of weakening opposition politics or limiting electoral choices.
He described the ADC’s political project as an effort to provide an alternative leadership direction, citing hunger, poverty, insecurity, corruption and economic hardship as issues requiring urgent national attention.
The ADC chieftain expressed optimism that the party’s legal and political challenges would be resolved in its favour, maintaining that its supporters remained determined to pursue their political objectives ahead of 2027.
The judgment has introduced another dimension to the ongoing political contest ahead of the next general elections. Although the ADC has challenged the ruling at the Court of Appeal and sought a stay of execution, the legal implications remain subject to further judicial proceedings.
For now, Eze’s reaction reflects the determination of a section of the opposition to resist what it considers an attempt to weaken its political platform, while the courts remain central to resolving the dispute over the ADC’s leadership and electoral preparations.
