Get Guardian on Google…says no ambition is worth the blood of Nigerians.
…says party should seek redress at appeal court
…asks party to caution spokesperson over utterances on “setting Nigeria on fire”
The Egba Integrity Group(EIG) a non-partisan citizen observer group in Ogun State, has urged the Senator David Mark led leadership of the African Democratic Congress to obey the recent ruling of the Federal High Court and shun action that could incite protest or violence in the country ahead the 2027 elections.
Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Thursday, declared illegal the Senator Mark-led Caretaker Committee of the ADC, which organized the primary election that produced former Vice president Atiku Abubakar as the party’s presidential candidate.
The court, in the suit: FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025, which listed ADC, Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC), Mark, Aregbesola and Ralph Nwosu as defendants, ruled in favour of the former National Deputy Chairman(North East) of the party, Nafiu Bala Gombe.
However, the group, in a statement signed by Otunba Thompson Osikoya, yesterday, urged the ADC to accept the court judgement in good faith, calling on the leadership to call its spokesperson, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi to order over recent outburst capable of causing chaos in the country.
Abdullahi, after the judgment, had cautioned the All Progressive Congress (APC) against setting Nigeria on fire in its bid to retain power in 2027 elections, alleging that the ruling party is using the court to weaken opposition parties and stifle democratic competition.
“We warned APC: Do not play with fires you cannot control. The peace and stability of Nigeria is bigger than the ambition of any president or political party. Nobody should be so desperate to retain the power that they are prepared to put the entire country at risk,” he said.
EIG noted that if the party was not satisfied with the court ruling, it should seek redress at the Court of Appeal rather than resorting to utterances that could force the people to embark on street protests and disruption of public peace.
It charged ADC and other opposition parties to reject calls for violence and attempted that could to set Nigeria on fire over judgement, saying that such actions could trigger tension and instability across the country.
The group stated that the nation’s peace and stability should take precedence over partisan interests, stressing that Nigeria’s unity and security were more important than the ambitions of any political party, candidate or individual, adding that no political ambition was worth the loss of innocent lives.
It, therefore, called on all political actors to exercise restraint, respect the rule of law and avoid actions capable of plunging the country into violence or anarchy.
“We call on all political parties to be forthright to accept judgments, if the basis is in accordance with the laws.The Federal High Court has spoken on the basis of the ADC Constitution and the Electoral Act.”
“The proper remedy is to appeal to the Court of Appeal, not street protest, not incitement, not threats.We must distance political parties from actions that can cause unnecessary disturbances within the country.”
“Certainly, we do not join in the prayer that Nigeria should be set on fire. Nigeria is bigger than any party, any candidate, or any election. No ambition is worth the blood of Nigerians. We reject any call for violence, anarchy, or destabilization arising from this judgment,” the group added.
