‘Stop your rants, go sort your mess’ — APC tackles ADC over court ruling

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has urged the African Democratic Congress (ADC) to resolve its internal leadership crisis instead of accusing the ruling party of colluding with the judiciary over a court judgment nullifying the David Mark-led leadership and the presidential candidacy of Atiku Abubakar. The APC, in a statement issued on Friday by its National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, described the ADC’s reaction to the judgment as “senseless rants” and insisted that the ruling party had no involvement in the legal dispute.

Morka said the ADC had repeatedly accused the APC of collusion and attacked the judiciary whenever court decisions went against it, but praised the courts when rulings favoured the opposition party. He accused the ADC of disregarding the independence and authority of the judiciary, arguing that it considered only judges who ruled in its favour to be worthy of respect.

“The ADC touts its desire to win power and govern democratic Nigeria without any iota of regard for the authority and independence of the judiciary, an indispensable pillar of any democracy,” he said. The APC spokesman maintained that the case was an internal ADC dispute initiated by party officers against the Mark-led leadership, which he described as an unlawful takeover.

“To be clear, APC is neither a party nor an interlocutor in the matter. Nothing about the case has anything to do with the APC,” Morka said. He said the court’s decision followed a legal challenge by ADC national officers who alleged that Mark and other leaders took control of the party in violation of its internal democracy. Morka described the judgment delivered by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja as a demonstration of the independence of the judiciary and the rule of law.

The ruling sacked the Mark-led leadership and invalidated decisions taken by the executive, including the party’s primary election processes and outcomes. The APC spokesman advised the ADC to challenge the judgment through the appropriate legal channels if it was dissatisfied with the outcome. “If ADC is dissatisfied with that decision, it should exercise its constitutional right of appeal rather than engage in partisan mudslinging against our great Party and issuing threats to incite anarchy,” he said.

Morka further described the ADC as a party unfit to govern Nigeria, arguing that its inability to resolve its internal disputes raised questions about its capacity to manage the country. “A party that cannot fix itself cannot possibly fix Africa’s most important country,” he said. He added that the APC and the Tinubu administration remained committed to democracy, the rule of law and good governance, despite what he called the opposition’s “irresponsible and dangerous rhetoric.”