Paul Ibe, media aide to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has dismissed the Federal High Court judgement nullifying the leadership of the African Democratic Congress, ADC.
DAILY POST reports that the Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday nullified the David Mark-led leadership of the party and invalidated all decisions taken by its National Working Committee.
The judgement, delivered by Justice Peter Lifu, also invalidated Atiku’s emergence as the party’s presidential candidate for the January 2027 election.
Reacting to the judgement, Ibe accused the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, of being behind what he described as a controversial ruling in a statement posted on his official X handle.
He, however, described the alleged attempt to prevent the ADC from participating in the 2027 presidential election as the “last kick of a dying horse”.
Ibe said the judgement raised serious concerns about judicial consistency and Nigerians’ constitutional right to choose their leaders.
He warned that any attempt to exclude the ADC from the 2027 elections could trigger a crisis of democratic legitimacy.
The former vice president’s aide also referenced President Bola Tinubu’s reported prayers for Nigeria’s peace during his recent Umrah pilgrimage to Makkah, insisting that the country’s stability must not be sacrificed for political interests.
According to him, the massive turnout at Atiku’s ADC campaign rallies in Sokoto on Wednesday and Kebbi on Thursday showed that Nigerians were determined to effect political change and defend their right to choose their leaders peacefully.
“For Tinubu and the APC, any calculation that judicial exclusion can substitute for electoral competition is the last kick of a dying horse,” he stated.
Ibe also questioned the integrity of Justice Lifu, alleging that the Court of Appeal had previously condemned his conduct and described it as “judicial rascality”.
He called on the National Judicial Council, NJC, led by Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, to examine the judge’s record.