ADC Claims There's a Plot to Stop Its Candidates for 2027 Elections

The National Legal Adviser of the African Democratic Congress, Professor Oserheimen Osunbor, has claimed that the legal case against the party’s leadership is designed to stop them from putting forward candidates in the 2027 elections.

Osunbor believes the aim of this challenge is to weaken the party and discourage Nigerians from supporting it and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, as the elections approach.

In an interview with Arise News on Thursday, he accused some members of the ruling All Progressives Congress of backing this legal fight. He urged party members and supporters to remain focused and not be distracted by the court ruling.

"This is an attempt to dampen the morale of Nigerians that are looking to ADC and our presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar as someone who will rescue us from the sufferings in the land, the insecurity, the poverty, the neglect, the disrespect for the right of Nigerians to choose their leaders," he said.

Osunbor argued that some political figures think Nigeria’s leadership should be decided by a small group using the courts and other government bodies, instead of through the votes of the people.

"Democracy is supposed to be a government where you and I will cast vote," he said.

This response comes after the Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday canceled the leadership of the ADC, which is led by former Senate President David Mark. The court also invalidated all decisions made by the party under this leadership, including the selection of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar as its presidential candidate for the upcoming elections.

The ADC legal adviser alleged that the case against David Mark’s leadership was backed by interests within the ruling APC. He suggested that the claimant, Nafiu Bala Gombe, would not have brought the case without such support.

"Gombe had resigned. If he wasn’t being sponsored by the ruling party, by people, he may not even have gone to court at all," Osunbor said.

He also questioned why the case was moved from Justice Emeka Nwite to Justice Peter Lifu, saying it raised concerns about how the matter was being handled. Osunbor insisted that the main goal of the legal challenge was to stop the ADC from taking part fully in the 2027 elections.

"What their target really is the primaries. They don’t want ADC to be able to field a candidate," he said.

Osunbor said the party has not yet received the certified true copy of the judgment and will review it before deciding on their next legal actions. He revealed that the ADC plans to file a motion for a stay of execution and appeal the ruling at the Court of Appeal.

"First of all, we have to bring a motion for stay of execution," he said.

Despite the ruling, Osunbor maintained that Atiku’s presidential ticket is still valid. He pointed to earlier court decisions that upheld the David Mark-led National Working Committee.

When asked if the party had a backup candidate in case their appeal fails, he called the question hypothetical, explaining that they have not held a formal meeting to discuss the judgment.

He urged ADC members and supporters to keep participating in party activities, stressing that the court ruling should not shake their confidence in the party.