BREAKING: You’re Playing With Fire, ADC Warns APC Over Court Ruling Sacking David Mark, Atiku
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has warned the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) against inflaming Nigeria’s peace and democratic stability following today’s Federal High Court judgement that sacked the party’s leadership and jeopardised the presidential ambition of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
“We warn the APC: do not play with fires you cannot control,” the party has said in reacting to the judgement in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi.
The party described the judgement as another desperate attempt to cripple the opposition and deny Nigerians the right to choose their leaders in the forthcoming general elections.
ADC described the judgement delivered by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, as an attempt to undermine opposition politics ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Abdullahi wrote: “We have reasons to believe that the judgement had long been written on this case. The Sokoto rally was simply a trigger that stampeded its delivery. Yesterday, Nigerians came out in their hundreds of thousands to demonstrate their support for the ADC and our promise of making life affordable for them. Today, they are being told that the party that they support and the candidates that they have supported at all levels could be erased by the stroke of a reckless judicial pen.”
The ADC questioned whether those behind the judgement had considered its far-reaching implications for the country, warning that the attempt to invalidate the party’s leadership could affect thousands of candidates contesting elections at the local, state and federal levels.
“Do these people understand what they are playing with? This is not about Atiku Abubakar or David Mark. It is about the democratic rights of Nigerians to freely choose their own leaders. It is about the rights of thousands of candidates to participate in a democratic process.”
The ADC maintained that the judgement is legally indefensible and would be challenged through every available judicial process.
“Our objection is particularly anchored on the subsisting judgement of Justice Musa Liman of the same Federal High Court, delivered on 2 July 2026 in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1637/2025, which affirmed the legitimacy of the David Mark-led NWC and directed INEC to recognise the leadership. It is a settled principle of Nigerian jurisprudence that a court of coordinate jurisdiction cannot sit on appeal over, review, vary or nullify the subsisting judgement of another court of equal jurisdiction.
“The ADC, therefore, rejects any consequential orders founded on a determination that appears to disregard these fundamental legal principles. However, we await the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the said judgement to ascertain its precise terms, scope and operative orders.
“We have seen this script before. When they are scared that the opposition is gathering steam, they use their judges in the courts to influence legally indefensible judgements. But the millions of Nigerians that are hungry and waiting for them at the ballot box see right through them and will not sit down in silence while our democracy is taken away by the courts.
“We warn the APC: do not play with fires you cannot control. The peace and stability of Nigeria are bigger than the ambition of any president or political party. Nobody should be so desperate to retain power that they are prepared to put the entire country at risk. This is not the time to play silly games with the stability of this country.
“Nigeria belongs to Nigerians, not to the APC. The presidency is not an inheritance. If the President thinks he has performed well in office, why is he afraid of competition? If the APC thinks that its policies and candidates are popular, why don’t they subject themselves to free and fair elections?”
The ADC called on the judiciary not to allow itself to be used in foisting a dictatorship on Nigeria, saying:“This is not just about the ADC or Atiku Abubakar; it is an ill wind that blows nobody any good.”
The party urged its members across the country to remain calm and law-abiding while the party pursued all legal means to address the situation.
