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From Noah Ebije, Kaduna
Professor of International Law, and immediate past Dean, Faculty of Law, American University of Nigeria (AUN), Mohammed Bello Magaji, has criticised former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and his political associates over their handling of the leadership transition in the African Democratic Congress (ADC), saying they failed to adequately address the legal and constitutional risks before adopting the party as their platform for the 2027 presidential election.
Magaji, while reacting to the Federal High Court ruling on the ADC leadership crisis on Thursday, November 5, 2026, described the development as unfortunate, warning that Nigeria’s political space was becoming increasingly toxic.
His reaction came less than 24 hours after the ADC held its rally in Sokoto, raising fresh concerns about the political implications of the court’s decision for the opposition party.
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The legal expert said the judgement had raised serious legal, political and strategic questions, particularly regarding the legality of the party’s leadership transition, internal democracy and the political judgement exercised by Atiku and his associates in choosing the ADC as their political platform. According to him, the former vice-president and his associates should have conducted a comprehensive legal and institutional assessment of the party before making it the foundation of their presidential ambition. The Law professor maintained that Atiku’s political ambition should have been built on a more secure legal foundation, adding that the party’s leadership transition required wider consultation and strict compliance with constitutional procedures.
“I would particularly emphasise one point: Atiku’s greatest mistake may not have been choosing ADC, but failing to sufficiently secure the legal and constitutional foundations of ADC before making it the cornerstone of his presidential project,” he stated.
On the legal implications of the judgment, Magaji explained that Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, upheld the case instituted by Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former Deputy National Chairman of the ADC, who challenged the process through which Senator David Mark and his associates assumed control of the party.
“Political popularity, national stature and the desirability of a political coalition cannot substitute for compliance with the law and the constitution of a political party,” he warned.
