‘Obviously Engineered By APC’ – Peter Obi Reacts To Court Judgement On Atiku, ADC

The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has expressed dissatisfaction with the circumstances surrounding the court order which nullified the leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) led by former Senate President David Mark and invalidated all decisions the party’s caretaker committee made, including the nomination of Atiku Abubakar as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2027 election.

Obi, in a statement on Thursday after the court ruling, described the development as shocking, unsettling and surprising.

He questioned why such an order could be given three months before a major election, adding that it is obviously engineered by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to prevent the opposition parties from focusing on robust campaigns.

The NDC candidate said the same thing was done to him when he was in the Labour Party.

He, however, warned the APC against undermining Nigeria’s democracy.

The former Governor of Anambra State clarified that he is not challenging the ruling of the court, but raised suspicions about the timing.

“I have received with shock the news of an order by the Federal High Court in Abuja nullifying the emergence of the Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and all the actions he has taken. This is unsettling and surprising.

“I do not challenge the ruling of the court. The court of law is constituted to determine disputes according to the law. My concern is that three months before a general election, it is in the public interest to have certainty. It is not good to have too many uncertainties about candidates and parties a few weeks before a presidential election. This instability is obviously engineered by the ruling party, just as they have done against me in the Labour Party and continue to do so to close down civic space for a robust campaign. It is also from the same rulebook that manufactures violence against us in our campaigns.

“One mark of democracy is that at all times, it is voters and not courts that choose leaders. I trust in the judiciary. As a public officer, I have shown deep respect for the judiciary. I appeal that we protect the integrity of democracy by not undermining the free and fair choice of candidates.

“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. It is because of the importance of opposition to the sustenance of democracy that I have always promised that, as President, I will take a special interest in ensuring opposition parties are stable and thriving, and that opposition candidates are not persecuted out of electoral contests.

“This is a time to strengthen our democracy by allowing the opposition to thrive.

“A new Nigeria is POssible,” he said.

Naija News reports that the order which sacked the David Mark ADC leadership and Atiku Abubakar was given on Thursday by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja.