NJC Must Act Over Conflicting Court Judgments on ADC Leadership – Presidency
The Presidency has called on the National Judicial Council (NJC) to urgently intervene over conflicting court judgments concerning the leadership crisis in the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Temitope Ajayi, Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Publicity, said the conflicting judicial pronouncements by courts of equal jurisdiction could undermine public confidence in the judiciary and raise questions about the integrity of the bench.
Ajayi made the call in a statement shared on his X account on Thursday.
He was reacting to the judgment delivered by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which nullified the leadership of the ADC led by former Senate President David Mark.
Ajayi argued that two High Courts should not issue contradictory decisions on the same leadership dispute, insisting that the proper legal procedure after a court has delivered judgment is to approach a higher court through an appeal rather than initiate another judicial process at a court of equal jurisdiction.
“The National Judicial Council (NJC) must urgently address the growing concern over judicial discipline and the integrity of the bench,” Ajayi wrote.
“Nothing damages public confidence in the judiciary more than courts of equal jurisdiction issuing contradictory rulings on the same matter.
“Two High Courts should not be making conflicting pronouncements on the ADC leadership dispute. Once a court has ruled on a matter, the proper recourse is an appeal to a higher court, not a parallel judicial contest,” he added.
The presidential aide also dismissed allegations by some ADC members and supporters that President Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) were responsible for the latest judgment.
According to him, the leadership crisis confronting the Mark-led faction of the ADC was largely caused by political miscalculations by Atiku Abubakar and his associates, who joined the party despite an existing leadership dispute.
“Predictably, ADC members and sympathisers are already accusing President Bola Tinubu and the APC of masterminding the judgment delivered today by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court, Abuja,” he stated.
“The truth, however, is that the leadership crisis bedevilling the Senator David Mark-led National Working Committee is largely a product of the political miscalculations of those who walked into it.”
Ajayi maintained that neither Tinubu nor the APC created the crisis, arguing that Atiku and his political associates should have conducted proper investigations into the party’s leadership situation before making it their political platform.
“Neither President Tinubu nor the APC created this problem. The unforced errors and poor political judgment of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and his political associates are at the heart of the present predicament,” he said.
He added that the ADC was already experiencing an internal leadership dispute before Atiku and other opposition figures joined the party, insisting that the ruling party should not be blamed for the consequences of their political decisions.
The presidential aide further described the situation as particularly ironic, alleging that Atiku was pursuing legal and public relations strategies in Nigeria and the United States to disqualify Tinubu from the 2027 presidential election while questioning the judiciary when its decisions affected his own political ambition.
Ajayi accused the former Vice President of applying double standards by supporting judicial intervention when it could benefit his political interests but describing an unfavourable ruling as evidence of conspiracy when it threatened his ambition.
“In other words, Atiku has no difficulty deploying judicial intervention as a political weapon when the objective is to keep his principal opponent off the ballot,” he wrote.
“However, when judicial pronouncements threaten his own political ambitions, the same process suddenly becomes evidence of conspiracy and persecution.”
He described the alleged position as hypocrisy, insisting that the rule of law should apply equally to all political actors regardless of their ambitions.
“One cannot demand that the courts intervene decisively when the outcome favours one’s political ambition and question the integrity of the judiciary when it does not,” Ajayi stated.
“The rule of law cannot be a convenient instrument of political warfare. It must apply equally to everyone, including the former Vice President.”
The comments followed Thursday’s judgment by the Federal High Court in Abuja, which nullified the leadership of the ADC led by David Mark and declared its actions on behalf of the party invalid.
Justice Peter Lifu delivered the judgment in a suit filed by Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former National Deputy Chairman of the ADC from the North-East, who challenged the process through which the Mark-led leadership emerged.
Gombe had argued that he was entitled to take over the party’s leadership following the resignation of its former National Chairman, Ralph Nwosu.
He asked the court to nullify decisions taken by the Mark-led leadership and restrain Mark and former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola from presenting themselves as the party’s National Chairman and National Secretary, respectively.
The plaintiff maintained that their emergence violated the ADC constitution and provisions of the Electoral Act.
The court upheld his claims and granted the reliefs sought, effectively invalidating decisions taken by the Mark-led Caretaker Committee, including the process that produced Atiku as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2027 general election.
