Former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, has accused Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja of withholding the judgment that nullified the African Democratic Congress (ADC) leadership and affected the party’s preparations for the 2027 general election.
Amaechi alleged that the judge had yet to release the certified true copy of the judgment despite repeated applications by the party’s lawyers.
He said the delay was preventing the ADC from properly examining the court’s decision and pursuing its appeal.
The former Minister of Transportation, who is the ADC vice-presidential candidate for the 2027 presidential election, expressed his displeasure during an appearance on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Tuesday.
He accused the judge of making it difficult for the party to obtain the document required to advance its legal challenge at the Court of Appeal.
Amaechi said the party had fulfilled the necessary requirements for obtaining the judgment but had continued to wait for its release.
“We can’t even see the judgment. He needs to hand over the judgment to us so that we can head to the Court of Appeal. He disappeared with the judgment. He is yet to hand it over to us despite the fact that we have applied,” he said.
The allegation comes amid the growing leadership crisis within the ADC, which has thrown the party’s political structure and preparations for the 2027 elections into uncertainty.
The dispute intensified following a ruling delivered on November 5 by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The court nullified the leadership structure associated with former Senate President David Mark and decisions connected to the disputed National Executive Committee meeting.
The judgment also affected the process through which former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar emerged as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2027 election.
The ruling represented a major setback for the party’s leadership, which had been working towards consolidating its structure ahead of the next year’s election.
Following the decision, the ADC rejected the outcome and began preparations to challenge it at the appellate court.
The party reportedly filed a notice of appeal alongside an application seeking a stay of execution of the judgment.
However, the absence of the certified judgment has become another source of concern for its leadership.
Without the complete court document, the party’s legal team faces difficulties in examining the specific reasoning behind the decision, identifying the issues to challenge and preparing its arguments before the Court of Appeal.
The ADC has maintained that its lawyers completed the necessary procedures for obtaining the certified copy, including the required applications and payment of applicable fees.
Its Presidential Campaign Council also complained that the delay was affecting the party’s ability to respond effectively to the ruling.
Beyond the issue of obtaining the court document, the former Rivers governor also questioned aspects of the proceedings that led to the decision.
He expressed concerns about how the issue of jurisdiction was handled during the case. Amaechi also wondered why the party’s lawyers had not taken certain steps to challenge the court’s approach during the proceedings.
The ADC chieftain further alleged that opposition parties in Nigeria had repeatedly encountered difficulties whenever they appeared to be making significant political progress.
To support his argument, he referred to the events surrounding the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, which was widely believed to have been won by the late Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola.
Amaechi suggested that the circumstances surrounding the ADC’s current legal battle reminded him of the challenges that followed the historic election.
“Every time you have the opposition making any progress in Nigerian politics, there is always somebody in the judiciary that will do one thing or the other. It happened to Abiola,” Amaechi alleged.
The former governor maintained that the judiciary should be guided by fairness and the national interest rather than political considerations.
He argued that the handling of politically sensitive cases was important to public confidence in the country’s democratic institutions, especially as political parties begin preparations for another general election.
The ADC leadership has continued to reject the November 5 ruling, insisting that the party has grounds to challenge the decision.
It has also expressed confidence that the Court of Appeal will overturn the judgment when the matter is properly presented before it.
The party has urged its members and supporters not to allow the leadership dispute to distract them from their political activities.
It has encouraged them to remain calm and continue preparations for the 2027 elections while the legal process continues.
The crisis originated from a suit instituted by Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former Deputy National Chairman of the ADC, who challenged the legitimacy of the David Mark-led leadership.
Bala Gombe had contested the circumstances surrounding the emergence of the Mark-led leadership, resulting in a legal battle over who had the authority to control the party’s affairs.
The disagreement has since developed into a major internal crisis, with competing claims over the party’s leadership and the validity of decisions taken by its national organs.