The 2027 presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has faulted the court judgement that sacked the management of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and nullified the candidacy of all its aspirants for the 2027 elections. Mr Obi additionally accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of being accountable for the court ruling.
PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that the Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday declared as unlawful, the David Mark-led Caretaker Committee, which carried out the ADC’s presidential major that produced ex-Vice President Atiku Abubakar as its flag bearer.
The court additionally sacked all the nationwide officers of the occasion, together with National Secretary Rauf Aregbesola, alongside all of the candidates the occasion introduced to the Independent National Electoral Commission for the 2027 elections.
‘Surprising and unsettling’
Reacting in an X post on Thursday night, Mr Obi stated he acquired the report of the court judgement with “shock.”
“This is unsettling and surprising,” he stated of the judgement.
The NDC candidate stated that whereas he didn’t dispute the court’s ruling, he was involved that the event had occurred simply months earlier than the 2027 normal elections.
“The court of regulation is constituted to find out disputes based on the regulation. My concern is that three months earlier than a normal election, it’s within the public curiosity to have certainty.
“It is not good to have too many uncertainties about candidates and parties a few weeks before a presidential election,” he stated.
The presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for 16 January 2027, whereas governorship elections and state meeting polls are billed to be held on 6 February the identical 12 months.
‘APC engineered it’
Mr Obi accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of “engineering” the court ruling and management dispute within the ADC.
“This instability is clearly engineered by the ruling occasion, simply as they’ve achieved towards me within the Labour Party and proceed to take action to shut down civic house for a strong marketing campaign.
“It is also from the same rulebook that manufactures violence against us in our campaigns,” he claimed with out proof.
Mr Obi was the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in 2023.
PREMIUM TIMES recollects that the Labour Party had suffered an intense leadership crisis shortly after the 2023 election, which many imagine resulted in Mr Obi’s defection to the ADC in December 2025.
‘Don’t undermine democracy’
In the publish on X, Mr Obi urged that the ruling occasion was clamping down on opposition events and referred to as for the safety of democratic rules, warning towards any try to undermine voters’ freedom to freely and pretty select their most popular candidates.
“One mark of democracy is that always, it’s voters and never courts that select leaders.
“The sustenance of democracy in Nigeria, in the midst of encroaching military rule in West Africa, should strengthen our resolve to protect opposition politics and not stamp out opposition parties,” he stated.
The NDC candidate confused that it was due to the significance of opposition to democracy that he promised to make sure that opposition events and their candidates weren’t persecuted out of electoral contests.
“This is a time to strengthen our democracy by allowing the opposition to thrive,” he stated.
READ ALSO: Atiku vows to appeal court judgement against his candidacy, seeks stay of execution
APC reacts
When contacted by PREMIUM TIMES on Thursday evening, the spokesperson of the APC, Felix Morka, rejected Mr Obi’s declare that the ruling occasion engineered the court ruling and the disaster within the ADC.
“How come every time that a court gives a decision that’s unfavourable to them, they blame APC, but when it’s in their favour they hail the rule of law and extol the judiciary,” Mr Morka stated.
The APC spokesperson confused that if the judgement was in favour of the ADC, opposition politicians wouldn’t have been blaming the ruling occasion for the court’s resolution.
“Tomorrow, I’ll issue a statement on this (allegation),” he added.
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