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| Ralph Nwosu, former national chairman of the African Democratic Congress. File photograph. |
Former African Democratic Congress national chairman Ralph Nwosu has insisted that Atiku Abubakar will contest the 2027 presidential election, despite the Federal High Court judgment invalidating the party leadership that conducted his nomination.
Speaking on Arise News’ The Morning Show on Wednesday, Nwosu defended the transition to David Mark’s leadership, rejected allegations of forgery surrounding the process and accused the ruling All Progressives Congress of seeking to weaken the opposition.
The APC has denied interfering in the dispute, maintaining that the case arose from disagreements within the ADC.
Nwosu predicted that Atiku would win the presidential election and take office on 29 May 2027. He dismissed questions about the possibility of the litigation preventing the former vice-president from appearing on the ballot.
INEC’s published election timetable schedules the presidential and National Assembly elections for 16 January 2027. Nwosu’s prediction about the result was his political assessment.
The dispute concerns the leadership arrangements through which the opposition coalition assumed control of the ADC in 2025.
Justice Peter Lifu ruled on 5 November that the Mark-led leadership emerged through an unlawful process and invalidated decisions taken under its authority, including the presidential primary that produced Atiku.
The judgment followed a suit by Nafiu Bala Gombe, who challenged the leadership transition and argued that he was entitled to take over after Nwosu’s resignation.
The ADC subsequently filed an appeal and applied for a stay of execution. Its lawyers also wrote to INEC, asking the commission to refrain from taking consequential action while the party pursued its challenge.
According to THISDAY’s report of the legal filings, the notice of appeal and stay application were dated 6 November. In their letter to INEC, the lawyers said the stay application was awaiting a hearing.
Under Section 17 of the Court of Appeal Act, filing a civil appeal does not by itself suspend enforcement of a judgment. The provision allows the Court of Appeal to order a stay, either unconditionally or subject to conditions.
Nwosu nevertheless argued that an earlier Federal High Court decision already protected the legitimacy of Mark’s leadership and the processes it conducted.
He maintained that the earlier judgment should prevail over the later decision and went further to argue that Atiku’s participation would remain secure even without an appeal against Justice Lifu’s ruling.
The earlier decision, delivered by Justice Musa Liman on 2 July 2026, arose from a separate suit brought by House of Representatives member Leke Abejide.
Channels Television reported that Justice Liman dismissed that suit, holding that it concerned the internal affairs of a political party. The judge also found that Abejide had not established his standing to bring the case and had not exhausted the party’s dispute-resolution procedures.
On the leadership transition, the court held that Nwosu’s handover did not contravene the ADC constitution.
Nwosu relied on that decision throughout the interview. Asked why the party had appealed the later judgment if he considered it ineffective, he said Mark preferred to pursue the available legal procedures.
He described that approach as consistent with Mark’s background and his insistence on discipline within the party.
The presenters repeatedly challenged Nwosu’s certainty, asking what would happen if the litigation remained unresolved close to the election. They also raised the distinction between the ADC remaining a registered party and the validity of nominations conducted by its disputed leadership.
Nwosu rejected the prospect of exclusion, maintaining that the processes he supervised complied with the party’s rules.
On the allegation that Gombe’s signature had been forged, the former chairman denied wrongdoing.
Asked directly whether the party had forged the signature, he replied: “No.”
He said Gombe participated in the transition and signed the relevant documents. Nwosu also maintained that the dissolution of the former National Working Committee did not depend solely on individual resignation letters.
According to him, the party’s National Executive Committee passed a resolution dissolving the working committee, and Gombe attended the proceedings.
He said photographs, documents and other records would support his account of the transition.
Nwosu also argued that INEC had witnessed the processes and initially submitted material confirming what took place. He accused the commission of subsequently changing its position and withdrawing its defence.
Those assertions formed part of his criticism of the electoral body. He called for the removal of INEC chairman Joash Amupitan, arguing that the commission’s handling of the dispute had undermined confidence in its conduct.
The presenters asked Nwosu to substantiate his allegation that the APC was responsible for the ADC’s difficulties. In response, he referred to INEC’s involvement in the transition, the earlier court proceedings and what he described as inconsistencies in the treatment of the party’s case.
He also questioned the timing of the latest judgment and alleged that the litigation was intended to distract the opposition from its campaign.
The APC has rejected that account.
In an earlier response reported by Arise News, its National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, said the ruling party was neither a litigant nor an intermediary in the leadership dispute.
Morka attributed the judgment to disagreements among ADC officials and accused the opposition party of blaming the APC for its own legal problems. He urged the ADC to exercise its right of appeal rather than allege political interference.
Another point of contention during Nwosu’s interview was the ADC’s difficulty obtaining a certified true copy of Justice Lifu’s judgment.
Nwosu said the party had applied for the document but had not received it. He alleged that the delay was intended to frustrate Mark and the ADC’s efforts to challenge the decision.
The party’s presidential campaign council had previously raised the same complaint. In a statement issued on Monday, its Director of Strategic Communication, Phrank Shaibu, said lawyers representing two defendants applied for certified copies on 5 and 6 November and had applications bearing payment stamps.
The council demanded the document’s release so that affected parties could establish the precise terms of the orders and pursue their legal remedies.
Nwosu said the party intended to make a public presentation of records concerning the transition and subsequent dispute.
He referred to messages he said Gombe had sent him demanding Mark’s removal. He also said the proposed presentation would include photographs and other material supporting the party’s account of the leadership change.
The former chairman rejected suggestions that he had enriched himself through the coalition arrangement.
“It wasn't a transaction.”
He said his participation reflected a political commitment and denied that the handover had made him wealthy.
Nwosu extended his criticism to the wider condition of the judiciary, while recalling an encounter with Chief Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun when she served at the Lagos High Court.
In his account, he approached her during a land dispute roughly three decades ago, but she declined to discuss the matter privately after establishing that he had a case before her.
He presented that encounter as an example of professional conduct and contrasted it with his concerns about the handling of the ADC litigation.
Despite the dispute, Nwosu said the party would continue its political engagements. He referred to its recent visit to Kebbi and maintained that preparations for further campaign activities were proceeding.
“We are campaigning. It's not affecting us.”