Members of the African Democratic Congress have staged a protest at the Federal High Court in Abuja, demanding the release of the Certified True Copy of the judgment nullifying the party’s National Working Committee led by former Senate President, David Mark.
The protesters, who called on the National Judicial Council to intervene, accused the trial judge, Justice Peter Lifu, of withholding the judgment delivered on November 5, thereby frustrating their efforts to challenge the decision at the Court of Appeal.
Speaking during the protest on Wednesday, a former Acting Chairman of the ADC in the Federal Capital Territory, Yusuf Shehu Tijani, described the judgment as a “sham” and urged the judge to release its certified copy.
“Our reason for coming here today is what Justice Lifu is doing. He is holding on to the sham judgment he said he passed. He should send the CTC, so that we can get it and appeal the judgment.
“Moreover, the Supreme Court already affirmed the leadership of Senator David Mark as the National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress. So why is the High Court going against that recognition saying he’s passing a judgment?
“Now the judgment you passed, give us the Certified True Copy so that we can appeal, he is refusing to do that. That is why we are here,” he said.
Tijani said the protest was intended to draw the attention of the NJC to the alleged delay, and compel the judge to release the document.
“So the protest is to call on the NJC to pressure this man, let him do what is right, because justice must prevail in Nigeria. This is not a jungle. This is a country that has laws, that has rules, and we have to follow the Constitution of the country.
“The stated law is that he should send the CTC so that we can appeal the judgment which is a sham judgment in the first place,” he added.
The protest followed a petition dated November 10, addressed to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, by members of the ADC candidates’ forum, demanding the immediate release of the judgment.
In the petition signed by Audu Aliyu on behalf of the candidates, the group said its lawyers applied for the CTC immediately after Justice Lifu delivered the judgment on November 5, and paid the prescribed fees.
However, it alleged that five days after the judgment, the document had yet to be released despite repeated visits by its lawyers to the court’s registry.
The petition reads in part, “We disagree with the judgment. We have a constitutional right to appeal it. But we cannot appeal what we do not have.
“As at today, 10th November, 2026, five (5) days after judgment, the CTC has NOT been released to us. Our lawyers have visited the Registry daily to no avail without any lawful explanation.”
The candidates alleged that they had credible information that the ruling All Progressives Congress was pressuring the Independent National Electoral Commission to implement the judgment despite their inability to obtain its certified copy.
They argued that the alleged delay violated Section 294(1) of the 1999 Constitution, which provides for the delivery of written decisions by courts and the availability of copies to parties.
They also cited Sections 241 and 242 of the Constitution, which provide for appeals from decisions of the Federal High Court to the Court of Appeal.
The petitioners warned that withholding the judgment until the relevant election timetable expired could effectively deprive them of their constitutional right to appeal.
“If a party can obtain a judgment against the opposition on Thursday, and the CTC is withheld until the election timetable closes, then the right of appeal becomes a mere illusion. Democracy dies not by coup, but by Registry delay,” the petition stated.
The group urged the Chief Judge to direct the Registrar to release the CTC within 24 hours of receiving the petition, specifically on or before Wednesday, November 11.
It also notified the Chief Judge that its support groups, comprising ADC members, candidates and other concerned Nigerians, would converge on the Federal High Court premises in Abuja by 10am on Wednesday to receive the document.
The petitioners, however, insisted that the gathering was not intended as a protest against the judiciary, but a demand for access to the judgment to enable them to pursue their appeal.
Copies of the petition were sent to the President of the Court of Appeal, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, the NJC, the INEC Chairman, the Nigerian Bar Association, Abuja branch, and the Inspector-General of Police.
The controversy followed the November 5 judgment in which Justice Lifu nullified the emergence of Mark as ADC National Chairman and invalidated decisions taken by the party under his leadership, including the process that produced former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar as its presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections.
He further directed INEC not to recognise or act on decisions taken at the party’s 99th National Executive Committee meeting held on July 27, 2025.
The judgment followed a suit filed by Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former Deputy National Chairman of the ADC (North-East), who argued that he was constitutionally entitled to assume the party’s leadership following the resignation of its former National Chairman, Ralph Nwosu.
The ADC however subsequently filed an notice of appeal against the judgment on November 6, and also applied for a stay of execution, urging INEC not to take any action capable of prejudicing the outcome of the appeal.
