Human rights lawyer, Jiti Ogunye, has criticised lawyers involved in the African Democratic Congress (ADC) leadership dispute for failing to seek consolidation of two related cases, a move he said could have helped prevent conflicting court judgments.
Ogunye, Principal Counsel of Jiti Ogunye Chambers, also described the emergence of the David Mark-led ADC leadership as a “hostile takeover”, arguing that the coalition should have examined the party’s internal processes before taking control.
Speaking on Arise News’ This Day Live, he said the cases brought by Leke Abejide and Nafiu Bala Gombe arose from similar facts but were filed by different parties and sought different reliefs.
Justice Musa Liman had ruled in Abejide’s case that the dispute concerned the internal affairs of a political party and was not justiciable. However, Justice Peter Lifu later nullified the Mark-led leadership and invalidated decisions taken under it, including the primary that produced former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar as the ADC’s 2027 presidential candidate.
Ogunye said the two cases proceeded separately despite their similarities, noting that the ADC’s lawyers did not make efforts to consolidate them.
He also cautioned against hastily concluding that Justice Lifu was wrong to hear the matter, saying the issue of jurisdiction and the arguments presented before the court required proper examination. He recalled that the Supreme Court had directed that the substantive dispute be heard on its merits.
The lawyer said Nigerian courts had adopted differing approaches to disputes involving political parties’ internal affairs, sometimes declining intervention and at other times stepping in where statutory provisions or party constitutions were allegedly breached.
Ogunye warned that the judgment could affect all ADC candidates if it remains in force, not only Atiku. He said excluding a major political party from the 2027 elections could undermine the democratic process and cast doubt on the legitimacy of the eventual outcome.
He urged the ADC to pursue its appeal while also engaging Bala Gombe in efforts to resolve the dispute peacefully and preserve the party’s participation in the elections.
Ogunye further condemned threats of violence, insisting that the crisis should be addressed through lawful and peaceful means.
He said a settlement that allows the ADC and its candidates to appear on the ballot would serve the wider interest of Nigeria’s electoral and democratic process.
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