Coalition Condemns Court Judgment Dissolving ADC Leadership

The Coalition for Democracy has strongly condemned a Federal High Court judgment that dissolved the Senator David Mark-led leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and invalidated its presidential candidacy. In a statement by its coordinator, Salihu Moh. Lukman, the Coalition expressed solidarity with the ADC, warning that an attack on one opposition party is an attack on all. The Coalition emphasized that the judgment is a systematic ploy to eliminate credible political opposition ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The Coalition for Democracy recalled that on Thursday, it raised the alarm over Nigeria's rapidly shrinking democratic space, citing attacks on opposition supporters, obstruction of political activities, and the increasing weaponisation of state institutions against political competitors. The judgment has given that warning a new and disturbing urgency. The Coalition stressed that when opposition parties are attacked on the streets, frustrated by state institutions, and threatened with elimination through judicial pronouncements, Nigerians must ask whether the ruling party still intends to face any meaningful opposition at the ballot box.

The Coalition respects the independence of the judiciary and the right of aggrieved parties to seek legal redress, but warned that the courts must never become instruments through which political competition is extinguished. 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.

The Coalition for Democracy emphasized that when a government becomes more afraid of the opposition than it is accountable to the people, democracy itself is in danger. The continued narrowing of the democratic space in Nigeria carries grave consequences for national stability. No democracy can remain peaceful when citizens are denied meaningful political alternatives. The ballot must remain the battlefield of democracy, and no political party should be allowed to achieve through institutional manipulation what it fears it cannot achieve through the votes of Nigerians.

The Coalition stands in solidarity with the ADC in its decision to challenge this judgment through the appropriate judicial processes. It calls on all opposition parties, civil society organisations, the Nigerian Bar Association, organised labour, the media, and patriotic Nigerians to unite in peaceful, lawful resistance against every attempt to undermine political pluralism. The Coalition for Democracy will not stand by while Nigeria is reduced to a democracy without opposition, elections without alternatives, and ballots without genuine choices.

The Coalition for Democracy was established to give practical expression to the resolutions of the G100 Opposition Summit held in Abuja on 31 August 2026. The Coalition is a multiparty platform comprising several opposition parties, including the ADC, Allied Peoples Movement (APM), and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Its mission is to defend Nigeria's constitutional democracy, protect political pluralism, and ensure free, fair, credible, and competitive elections.

The Coalition's coordinator, Salihu Moh. Lukman, emphasized that emerging from the G100 Opposition Summit, the Coalition is committed to providing a framework for opposition parties to coordinate their efforts, safeguard democratic institutions, uphold the rule of law, and protect the fundamental rights of Nigerians to freely choose their leaders. The Coalition will resist attempts to undermine democracy and will work to ensure that Nigeria's democratic institutions remain strong and vibrant.

Key points

• The Coalition for Democracy condemns the Federal High Court judgment dissolving the ADC leadership, warning of threats to Nigeria's democracy.
• The judgment is seen as a systematic ploy to eliminate credible political opposition ahead of the 2027 general elections.
• The Coalition calls for peaceful, lawful resistance against attempts to undermine political pluralism in Nigeria.