National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Senator David Mark, has said that the Nigerian judiciary, rather than the ADC, is currently on trial over the controversy surrounding the deregistration of the party and four others.
Mark made the remarks on Tuesday at the ADC Strategic Communications Retreat in Abuja, where he criticised the handling of matters relating to the party by Justice Peter Lifu and described recent judicial actions as unprecedented.
In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Kola Ologbondiyan, the former Senate President argued that contrary to public perception, it is the judiciary not the ADC that is under scrutiny.
“The ADC is not on trial. Rather, it is the judiciary that is on trial, and the nation is waiting to see how the National Judicial Council (NJC) will handle this precarious situation,” Mark said.
He expressed concern over what he described as unusual judicial conduct, stating that it was difficult to imagine that Justice Lifu, or any judge for that matter, would allow himself to be used for what he termed a “hatchet job.”
Mark alleged that the judge disregarded an order of the Court of Appeal directing a stay of proceedings in the matter.
He further criticised what he described as conflicting orders issued by Justice Lifu, claiming that the judge directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to declare the ADC deregistered and, less than 24 hours later, proceeded to hear a related case involving Nafiu Gombe.
“It is strange that a judge can order the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to pronounce a party dead and, in less than 24 hours, put the same party on trial,” he said.
Despite the development, Mark urged party members not to be discouraged, attributing the situation to what he described as political manoeuvres by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
“As I have said previously, our members should not worry about the shenanigans of the ruling party. We will go through all this turbulence because we are up to the task. By the time we are through all these challenges, the ADC will emerge stronger,” he stated.
The former Senate President also accused the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of attempting to distract the opposition, claiming that the APC-led government was struggling and seeking to shift public attention.
Addressing participants at the retreat, Mark charged the party’s communication strategists to craft messages capable of attracting support from members of the APC, including President Tinubu himself.
The Federal High Court recently ordered the deregistration of the ADC and four other political parties, a development that has sparked reactions from affected parties and renewed debate over judicial independence and Nigeria’s democratic process.
