Atiku Abubakar, former vice president of Nigeria and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has accused President Bola Tinubu of orchestrating a court judgment that ordered the deregistration of his party ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Court Orders Deregistration of Five Political Parties
On Monday, June 15, Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja ordered the deregistration of the ADC and four other political parties for failing to meet constitutional requirements. The court instructed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to enforce the ruling immediately. Besides ADC, the affected parties include the Action Alliance (AA), Accord Party, Action Peoples Party (APP), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).
Atiku's Reaction and Allegations
Reacting through his spokesperson, Paul Ibe, Atiku described the ruling as the "height of judicial rascality" and accused President Tinubu of being "hell-bent to undermine the opposition and entrench a de facto one-party state." He noted that the trial court judge had been ordered by the Court of Appeal to stay further proceedings on the matter. The order, issued on May 22, 2026, by Justices Mohammed A. Danjuma, Adebunkunola A. Banjoko, and Oyejoju O. Oyewumi, scheduled a hearing for October 27, 2026. Atiku stated, "Nigerians and the international community can see the level of desperation of the government of the ruling party to either have their way in the 2027 elections or destroy our democracy that was purchased at a huge cost."
Public Reactions
Nigerians have expressed mixed reactions to Atiku's statement. Vincent Aneke questioned the Court of Appeal order, saying, "Please read the order you are parading again. I do not hold brief for the Federal High Court judge, but it's very questionable if the Court of Appeal can make such an order with so many grave errors." Oladipupo criticized the federal government, stating, "This is desperation taken too far. It's another carefully orchestrated plot to dim the shining light of the party, but they won't succeed. ADC will be on the ballot and subsequently form the next government." Yusuf Isah criticized Atiku, asking, "Why hijack another man's property and call it your own. No peace for Kachallah and the hungry man." Dr Jay commended Peter Obi for leaving the party, saying, "This is why Peter Obi left, but the ADC refused to let him breathe. More are yet to come."
