Deregistration: Judiciary, not ADC on trial over — David Mark
Nigerian Judiciary Under Scrutiny, ADC Chairman Says
By Luminous Jannamike
ABUJA – The National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Senator David Mark, asserted that the Nigerian judiciary is on trial in light of the recent deregistration of the ADC and four other political parties.
The Federal High Court’s decision to deregister these parties has incited significant backlash and reignited discussions on judicial independence and the overall state of democracy in Nigeria.
During remarks at the ADC Strategic Communications Retreat in Abuja on Tuesday, the former Senate President criticized Justice Peter Lifu’s handling of the case, calling the recent judicial actions unprecedented.
Mark stated that, contrary to popular belief, the ADC is not the entity under examination in this controversy.
“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 address this precarious situation,” he said.
He expressed concern over what he termed unusual judicial conduct, questioning how Justice Lifu could disregard an order from the Court of Appeal that had stayed proceedings in the matter.
Mark also criticized what he described as contradictory judicial orders. He noted that Justice Lifu instructed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to declare the ADC inactive, only to preside over another case involving the party less than 24 hours later.
“It is strange that a judge can order the INEC to pronounce a party dead and then, within less than 24 hours, put the same party on trial,” he remarked.
Despite the challenges, Mark encouraged party members not to lose heart, attributing the turmoil to alleged actions by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
“Our members should not be deterred by the challenges posed by the ruling party. We will navigate through these difficulties, and by the time we emerge from this phase, the ADC will be stronger,” he declared.
Additionally, he accused President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration of seeking to distract the opposition, suggesting that the APC-led government was “sinking.”
He urged the party’s communication strategists to craft messages that would resonate with APC members, including President Tinubu himself, to gain their support for the ADC.
These remarks were relayed in a statement issued by Kola Ologbondiyan, Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the ADC National Chairman.
