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The African Democratic Congress (ADC) Presidential Campaign Council has accused Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, of bias over the reassignment of a case involving the party from Justice Emeka Nwite to Justice Peter Lifu.
The council alleged that Justice Tsoho reassigned the case to Justice Lifu a day after receiving a formal protest from the ADC, raising questions about the circumstances surrounding the transfer and the party’s right to a fair hearing.
In a statement signed by its Director of Strategic Communications, Phrank Shaibu, on Tuesday, the council said the transfer had raised concerns about judicial impartiality, particularly as Justice Nwite had already commenced hearing the matter and had not recused himself.
The ADC said its lawyers had taken the legal issues before the Court of Appeal, adding that it would also make available documents detailing how the case was transferred to Justice Lifu.
It called for the immediate release of the full judgment, arguing that withholding the official copy and the reasons for the decision could obstruct its right to challenge the ruling and deny the appellate court access to a complete record.
According to the statement, the plaintiff had sought the transfer of the case from Justice Nwite on grounds of delay and a perceived loss of confidence in obtaining a timely hearing.
The party, however, said its lawyers responded to the request on May 11, 2026, challenging the plaintiff’s account of the adjournments and arguing that the application amounted to forum shopping.
It added that its National Secretary, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, subsequently wrote to Justice Tsoho on June 2, asking him to reverse the reassignment.
The letter, according to the ADC, formally protested the transfer and expressed the party’s lack of confidence in Justice Lifu’s impartiality.
However, the council alleged that Justice Tsoho proceeded with the reassignment the following day, despite receiving its objections.
It questioned why the Chief Judge considered the plaintiff’s allegations of delay sufficient grounds for transferring the case, despite the objections raised by the party and the records of the proceedings before Justice Nwite.
The council urged Justice Tsoho to make public the reasons for his decision, insisting that Nigerians deserved an explanation of the circumstances surrounding the reassignment.
It further cited a separate case in which Justice Lifu ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the ADC and four other political parties, despite an alleged Court of Appeal order staying proceedings.
The statement said the appellate court subsequently nullified the deregistration judgment, describing Justice Lifu’s decision to proceed with the matter as the “highest form of judicial impertinence” and invoking Supreme Court authority on “judicial rascality”.
The ADC also referred to a certified judgment delivered by Justice Musa Liman, which dismissed a challenge to the party’s leadership for lack of merit and locus standi.
According to the council, Justice Liman held that the internal party dispute was non-justiciable, declared the leadership handover lawful and affirmed INEC’s recognition of the National Chairman and National Secretary.
It argued that Justice Lifu, sitting at the same Federal High Court, could not disregard those orders, describing the issue as one of the legal questions its lawyers had submitted to the Court of Appeal.
The campaign council also raised concerns about allegations involving Justice Tsoho, including a reported Code of Conduct Bureau inquiry over undeclared bank accounts and media reports alleging that a large sum of cash was found in his wife’s possession.
However, it acknowledged that the allegations did not establish guilt and noted that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had not publicly confirmed the report concerning the alleged cash discovery.
The ADC challenged the Chief Judge to explain whether any external pressure influenced his decision to transfer the case, while insisting that the party’s right to a fair hearing should not be compromised by any circumstances surrounding the allegations.
It also called on the National Judicial Council (NJC) to investigate the reassignment, the formal protest submitted by the party and Justice Lifu’s conduct in the earlier proceedings.
Reflecting on the role of the judiciary in Nigeria’s political history, the council urged serving judicial officers to consider the implications of their decisions, citing controversies surrounding court judgments in the First and Second Republics.
It further accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of using court processes to confront its political opponents, urging the party to face former Vice President Atiku Abubakar on the political field and account for the hardship Nigerians face.
“Atiku remains our candidate. The law is on his side, not sentiment,” Shaibu said, adding that the ADC would defend its position before the Court of Appeal.
The council insisted that Nigerians’ right to choose their president must not become a bargaining tool in political power struggles.
