Get Guardian on GoogleThe United Friends of Atiku has called on the international community to pay close attention to the unfolding political situation in Nigeria ,particularly the High Court judgement that sacked the senator David Mark led leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and nullified all actions of the Executive Committee.
Addressing journalists at the ADC Secretariat, leader of the group Alhaji Aliyu Audu who described the court ruling as a defining moment in Nigerian’s Democratic journey expressed concerns that the judgment delivered by Justice Peter Lifu judgement has abruptly affected the party’s candidates, including the presidential nomination of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
He said the country is witnessing a dangerous escalation of the absurdity and warned of impending calamity .
“We are issuing a stern and unequivocal warning: If this blatant institutional takeover by the incumbent administration continues, we can see that we are staring at the imminent breakdown of democracy in Nigeria.
“Our intervention today is not a declaration that political parties, leaders, or candidates are above the law, neither is it an argument that the Judiciary has abdicated its responsibility to adjudicate disputes. Rather, it is a solemn declaration that the administration of justice is being weaponised to execute a political agenda.
“We must ask a fundamental, grave question”. According to the group ,democracy is not merely the act of voting; but the right to choose.
“An election stripped of formidable alternatives risks becoming an authoritarian selection process rather than a democratic choice.
“The judiciary must not become an instrument of state capture.The Judiciary occupies a unique position in our constitutional democracy”.
The group stressed that the responsibility of the judiciary demands extraordinary restraint, independence, and fidelity to the law.
“However, the consequential invalidation of the ADC leadership and its candidates’ nominations disenfranchises thousands of aspirants and millions of voters. When the courts are used to unnecessarily extinguish democratic possibilities, the Judiciary ceases to be the guardian of constitutional order and risks being seen as the gatekeeper of the incumbent’s political interests.
“The rule of law relies on consistency and the finality of judgments. We are particularly concerned because there exists an earlier judgment delivered by Justice Musa Liman on 2 July 2026 (Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1637/2025), which affirmed the David Mark-led leadership of the ADC. When litigants and citizens are subjected to conflicting outcomes from courts of equal standing on substantially related disputes, public confidence is destroyed. The appellate courts must urgently examine these questions before this institutionalises legal chaos.
“Let us make this absolutely clear to the ruling government: democratic erosion does not always announce itself through military rule. It happens when institutions are gradually weakened, political participation is narrowed, and credible alternatives are systematically dismantled through state machinery. By narrowing the democratic space and using the courts to eliminate competition, the incumbent is treating the existence of a viable opposition as an inconvenience to be eradicated.
“United Friends for Atiku does not demand immunity for any political leader. If there are legitimate legal questions concerning the ADC’s leadership, they must be determined through lawful, constitutionally appropriate processes. What we demand is that judicial proceedings respect constitutional safeguards and that consequential orders be carefully examined in light of their wider democratic implications. The people of Nigeria must not be made to pay the price of institutional uncertainty.
“Against this background, we demand the following:
“To the Judiciary: Uphold your independence. Do not allow the courts to be used as a tool for political elimination.
“We urge the Court of Appeal to accord any appeal arising from this judgment the utmost urgency.
“To INEC, discharge your responsibilities strictly in accordance with the Constitution and finalised judicial decisions, immune from the political preferences of the incumbent.
“To the Incumbent and Political Actors: Cease the weaponisation of state institutions. True political stability comes from fair competition.
“To the International Community and Global Stakeholders:
“We urgently call upon the United Nations (UN), the African Union (AU), ECOWAS, and our international democratic partners—including the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union—to pay close attention to the unfolding crisis in Nigeria. Do not wait for the total collapse of the democratic order before intervening. We urge you to hold the incumbent administration accountable to international democratic standards, scrutinise these judicial anomalies, and deploy necessary diplomatic pressure to ensure that Nigeria’s electoral process is not hijacked through institutional subterfuge”.
