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A coalition of 9 opposition political parties has kicked against the judgment of the Federal High Court, Abuja, which sacked the Senator David Mark led National Working Committee (NWC) of the African Democratic Congress ( ADC, on Thursday.
The opposition parties, on the aegies of Coalition for Democracy, in a statement by Salihu Lukman, described the judgment, which also invalidated the nomination of Atiku Abubakar as ADC candidate in the January 16, 2027 presidential poll, as “a dangerous escalation’ of alleged campaign against the opposition, ahead of the next general election.
The coalition, which consists of the ADC,
Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA), National Rescue Movement (NRM), Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Social Democratic Party (SDP) and Youth Progressives Party (YPP) is an off-shoot of the G-100.
It cautioned that those seeking to destroy the opposition to advanced their course must understand that they are threatening the foundation of the country.
“Only yesterday, the Coalition 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. Thursday’s judgment has given that warning a new and disturbing urgency.
“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.
“While the Coalition respects the independence of the judiciary and the right of aggrieved parties to seek legal redress. However, 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 stated.
Furthermore, it stated that “when a government becomes more afraid of the opposition than it is accountable to the people, democracy itself is in danger. This is why, the Coalition warns that 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. No political party should be allowed to achieve through institutional manipulation what it fears it cannot achieve through the votes of Nigerians.”
