Members of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) on Wednesday staged protests in Abuja, demanding the immediate release of the Certified True Copy (CTC) of a Federal High Court judgment that nullified the emergence of former Senate President David Mark as the party’s National Chairman.
The protesters accused the trial judge, Justice Peter Lifu, of withholding the November 5 judgment despite an application by the party’s lawyers and payment of the prescribed fees.
They said the delay was preventing them from effectively pursuing their appeal against the ruling, which they described as an attempt to undermine the party’s leadership and democratic rights.
The protesters first converged on the Federal High Court in Abuja before extending their demonstration to the headquarters of the United Nations (UN), the European Union (EU), and the embassies of the United Kingdom and the United States.
At the diplomatic missions, they submitted petitions seeking international attention to the controversy surrounding the judgment, particularly what they described as the denial of their constitutional right to appeal and the implications for credible elections in Nigeria.
Speaking during the protest, a former Acting Chairman of the ADC in the Federal Capital Territory, Yusuf Shehu Tijani, described the judgment as a sham and called on the National Judicial Council (NJC) to intervene.
“Our reason for coming here today is what Justice Lifu is doing. He is holding on to the sham judgment he said he passed. He should send the CTC, so that we can get it and appeal the judgment,” Tijani said.
He questioned the decision of the court to nullify Mark’s leadership, insisting that the Supreme Court had already affirmed his emergence as the party’s National Chairman.
“Moreover, the Supreme Court already affirmed the leadership of Senator David Mark as the National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress. So why is the High Court going against that recognition?” he asked.
Tijani said the protesters wanted the NJC to compel the judge to release the judgment to enable the party exercise its constitutional right of appeal.
“The protest is to call on the NJC to pressure this man, let him do what is right, because justice must prevail in Nigeria. This is not a jungle. This is a country that has laws, that has rules, and we have to follow the Constitution of the country,” he added.
The demonstration followed a November 10 petition submitted to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, by members of the ADC candidates’ forum over the alleged delay in releasing the judgment.
In the petition signed by Audu Aliyu on behalf of the candidates, the group said its lawyers applied for the Certified True Copy immediately after Justice Lifu delivered the ruling on November 5 and paid the required fees.
However, the candidates alleged that repeated visits to the court registry had failed to produce the document.
They warned that the delay could frustrate their constitutional right to appeal, particularly with critical electoral deadlines approaching.
“We disagree with the judgment. We have a constitutional right to appeal it. But we cannot appeal what we do not have,” the petition stated.
The group added that five days after the judgment, the court had yet to release the certified copy despite repeated visits by its lawyers.
Citing Sections 241 and 242 of the 1999 Constitution, which provide for appeals against decisions of the Federal High Court, as well as Section 294(1), the petitioners argued that withholding the judgment could effectively deny them access to appellate justice.
They also alleged that they had received credible information that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was pressuring the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to implement the judgment despite their inability to obtain its certified copy.
The candidates warned that allowing electoral deadlines to expire while the judgment remained unavailable could render their right of appeal meaningless.
“If a party can obtain a judgment against the opposition on Thursday, and the CTC is withheld until the election timetable closes, then the right of appeal becomes a mere illusion. Democracy dies not by coup, but by Registry delay,” the petition stated.
They subsequently demanded that the Chief Judge direct the court registrar to release the document within 24 hours, setting Wednesday, November 11, as the deadline.
The petition was also copied to the President of the Court of Appeal, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, the NJC, INEC Chairman, the Nigerian Bar Association, Abuja branch, and the Inspector-General of Police.
In its November 5 judgment, Justice Lifu nullified Mark’s emergence as the ADC National Chairman and invalidated decisions taken by the party under his leadership.
The ruling also affected the process that produced former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections.
The judge further directed INEC not to recognise or act on decisions reached at the party’s 99th National Executive Committee meeting held on July 27, 2025.
The judgment followed a suit instituted by Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former ADC Deputy National Chairman (North-East), who argued that he was constitutionally entitled to assume the party’s leadership following the resignation of its former National Chairman, Ralph Nwosu.
Meanwhile, the ADC had filed a notice of appeal on November 6 and applied for a stay of execution, urging INEC not to take any action that could prejudice the outcome of the appeal.
