On Thursday, November 5, 2026, a Federal High Court presided over by Justice Peter Lifu delivered a controversial judgment, sacking the leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) led by the former Senate President David Bonaventure Mark in a case brought by the former Deputy National Chairman of the party, Nafiu Bala Gombe. In the ruling, Justice Lifu declared the David Mark-led Caretaker Committee and the National Working Committee (NWC) illegal for breaching the ADC constitution, the Electoral Act and the 1999 Constitution. The implication of this judgment is that all the activities undertaken by the David Mark’s executives since taking over the leadership of the party, including the presidential primaries, are nullified.
But why many expressed surprise at this ugly development in our political space barely 70 days to the presidential election, I am not. I know it is something that is bound to happen. I have written about the antics and shenanigans of the APC in my earlier essays. The litigation by Nafiu Bala Gombe who resigned and denied his resignation from the ADC leadership is induced by the All Progressives Congress, and judgment of the court is influenced by the same APC gang. It also did not come to me as a surprise that the members of the APC were the first to hail the controversial court judgment.
A few hours after the judgment, Festus Keyamo, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, who in the past was one of those parading themselves as democrats and human rights activists, cheered the judgment, accusing David Mark and the ADC leadership of hijacking the party that he is not part of. And in response to the accusation of involvement in the matter, Felix Morka, the National Publicity Secretary of the APC, issued a public statement denying any involvement in the outcome of the judgment, pointing out that the case was strictly an internal conflict initiated by an aggrieved ADC member, alleging that the David Mark faction had hijacked the ADC’s leadership structure purely to serve Atiku Abubakar’s 2027 presidential ambition while treating internal party democracy with impunity, questioning the competence of ADC, which he describes as “decrepit party”, that could not resolve its internal crisis, to govern the nation and advising them to follow due process by seeking redress in court instead of “partisan mudslinging”. It is clear that the APC’s call on the ADC to seek legal redress is a mockery camouflaged as advice.
Nobody is deceived by the court judgment. There is no justice in that judgment. The judgment is designed to stop Atiku Abubakar from contesting the 2027 Presidential election, and even if he must contest, he would do so disorganized. As rightly observed by the opposition and some concerned commentators, the whole thing is orchestrated by the ruling APC which has proved to be the number one enemy of Nigerian democracy of today. I must state without equivocation that Tinubu’s ambition, and desperation to hang on to power beyond 2027 is destroying Nigeria’s democracy. Every structure of governance including the subnational governments has collapsed into campaigning for Tinubu’s election. There is tension everywhere because of Tinubu’s inordinate ambition.
We warned Nigerians earlier in 2023 about Tinubu’s greed and dictatorial tendencies but it seems that the Northern establishments that rigged him into power did not listen. He fooled us with his Muslim-Muslim ticket. We were warned that he would seize Nigeria the way he pocketed Lagos but some people dismissed it with a wave of hand, saying that Nigeria is not Lagos. But today, the reality is staring us menacingly in the face. Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has captured Nigeria.
We have all the symptoms of state capture here with us now. And it is unfortunate!
Hajia Hadiza Mohammed, actress, social activist, politician, London, UK