2027: ADC judgment escalation of campaign to eliminate credible opposition – Lukman

The leader of the Coalition for Democracy, Salihu Lukman, has warned that the Federal High Court judgment affecting the David Mark-led leadership of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, could threaten the survival of opposition parties ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Lukman said the judgment, which purportedly dissolved the Mark-led ADC leadership and invalidated the party's presidential ticket, was a dangerous escalation in what he described as a systematic attempt to eliminate credible political opposition in Nigeria.

He warned that the development could set a precedent for other opposition parties, insisting that an attack on the ADC today could happen to any other political party tomorrow.

Lukman spoke in a statement issued on Friday on behalf of the Coalition for Democracy.

According to him, the judgment has reinforced concerns about the shrinking democratic space in Nigeria, particularly amid alleged attacks on opposition supporters, restrictions on political activities and the use of state institutions against political opponents.

"The Coalition for Democracy considered Thursday's Federal High Court judgment purporting to dissolve the Senator David Mark-led leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and invalidate its presidential candidacy as a dangerous escalation in what appears to be a systematic campaign to eliminate credible political opposition ahead of the 2027 general elections," he said.

The coalition leader questioned whether the ruling party was still willing to allow meaningful political competition, arguing that opposition parties should not be prevented from participating in elections through institutional interventions.

Although the coalition acknowledged the independence of the judiciary and the right of aggrieved parties to seek legal redress, Lukman cautioned against the courts becoming instruments for suppressing political competition.

"Those who seek to destroy the opposition in order to guarantee their own victory must understand that they are not merely threatening political parties; they are threatening the very foundations of the Republic.

"A government that cannot tolerate opposition has lost the moral authority to call itself democratic," he stated.

Lukman further warned that the continued restriction of democratic space could have serious implications for national stability, stressing that democracy cannot thrive without credible political alternatives.

He maintained that elections must remain the legitimate avenue for political parties to compete for power rather than through what he described as institutional manipulation.

"The ballot must remain the battlefield of democracy. No political party should be allowed to achieve through institutional manipulation what it fears it cannot achieve through the votes of Nigerians," he added.

The coalition consequently declared solidarity with the ADC and its decision to challenge the judgment through appropriate judicial processes.

It also urged opposition political parties, civil society organisations, the Nigerian Bar Association, organised labour, the media and Nigerians to unite in peaceful and lawful resistance against actions capable of undermining political pluralism.

Lukman said the coalition would not allow Nigeria to become a democracy without opposition, elections without alternatives or ballots without genuine choices.

"An attack on one is an attack on all. We will resist it together," he declared.

Recall that the Federal High Court in Abuja sacked the David Mark-led leadership of the African Democratic Congress, ADC.

The ADC presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, said President Bola Tinubu's administration and the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, are in a state of panic, hence the court judgment.

2027: ADC judgment escalation of campaign to eliminate credible opposition – Lukman