Members of the African Democratic Congress have organized a demonstration at the Federal High Court in Abuja, calling for the release of the Certified True Copy of the ruling that nullified the party’s National Working Committee headed by former Senate President David Mark.
The demonstrators, urging the National Judicial Council to step in, accused the presiding judge, Justice Peter Lifu, of not releasing the judgment issued on November 5, thus hindering their attempts to contest the ruling at the Court of Appeal.
During the protest on Wednesday, Yusuf Shehu Tijani, a former Acting Chairman of the ADC in the Federal Capital Territory, labeled the judgment a “sham” and requested the judge to release its certified copy.
“We are here today because of the actions of Justice Lifu.” He is clinging to the false judgment he claimed to have made. He needs to send the CTC, so we can receive it and contest the ruling.
“Furthermore, the Supreme Court has confirmed that Senator David Mark is the National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress.” Why is the High Court contradicting that acknowledgment and claiming he’s delivering a judgment?
“Now the ruling you issued, provide us with the Certified True Copy so we can appeal; he is declining to do that.” “That’s the reason we’re here,” he stated.
Tijani stated that the demonstration aimed to attract the NJC’s notice to the supposed delay and urge the judge to disclose the document.
“The protest aims to urge the NJC to push this man to act correctly, as justice must triumph in Nigeria.” This is not a rainforest. This is a nation with laws, with regulations, and we must adhere to the nation’s Constitution.
“The law indicates that he must send the CTC so we can challenge the judgment, which is a fraudulent judgment from the start,” he noted.
The protest was in response to a petition, dated November 10, submitted to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, by the ADC candidates’ forum members, requesting the prompt release of the judgment.
In the petition endorsed by Audu Aliyu representing the candidates, the group stated that its attorneys requested the CTC right after Justice Lifu issued the ruling on November 5 and settled the required fees.
Nevertheless, it was claimed that five days following the ruling, the document still had not been made available despite the lawyers’ numerous trips to the court’s registry.
The petition states in part, “We do not agree with the ruling. We possess a constitutional right to contest it. However, we cannot contest what we lack.
“As of today, 10th November, 2026, five (5) days following the judgment, the CTC has NOT yet been provided to us.” Our attorneys have gone to the Registry every day without success and without any legal justification.
The candidates claimed they possessed reliable information indicating that the ruling All Progressives Congress was influencing the Independent National Electoral Commission to enforce the judgment, even though they couldn’t secure its certified copy.
They contended that the supposed delay breached Section 294(1) of the 1999 Constitution, which mandates courts to issue written decisions and ensure copies are accessible to the parties involved.
They also referenced Sections 241 and 242 of the Constitution, which allow for appeals from Federal High Court decisions to the Court of Appeal.
The petitioners cautioned that delaying the judgment until the applicable election timeline lapsed could essentially strip them of their constitutional right to appeal.
“If a party secures a judgment against the opposing side on Thursday, and the CTC is delayed until the election schedule ends, the ability to appeal turns into a mere illusion.” “Democracy perishes not through overthrow, but due to Registry holdups,” the petition asserted.
The group called on the Chief Judge to instruct the Registrar to issue the CTC within 24 hours of receiving the petition, particularly by or before Wednesday, November 11.
It informed the Chief Judge that its support groups, made up of ADC members, candidates, and other interested Nigerians, would gather at the Federal High Court in Abuja by 10am on Wednesday to collect the document.
The petitioners, nonetheless, emphasized that the meeting was not meant as a protest against the judiciary, but rather a request for access to the ruling to allow them to continue their appeal.
Petition copies were dispatched to the President of the Court of Appeal, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, the NJC, the INEC Chairman, the Abuja branch of the Nigerian Bar Association, and the Inspector-General of Police.
The dispute arose after the ruling on November 5, where Justice Lifu annulled Mark’s ascension as ADC National Chairman and declared void the decisions made by the party during his tenure, including the selection process that resulted in former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar being namedits presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections.
He also instructed INEC not to acknowledge or implement decisions made at the party’s 99th National Executive Committee meeting that occurred on July 27, 2025.
The ruling was based on a lawsuit brought by Nafiu Bala Gombe, a past Deputy National Chairman of the ADC (North-East), who claimed that he had the constitutional right to take over the party’s leadership after the resignation of the former National Chairman, Ralph Nwosu.
The ADC, however, later submitted a notice of appeal against the ruling on November 6, and requested a stay of execution, asking INEC not to undertake any actions that could negatively affect the appeal’s outcome.
