Amaechi Warns ADC Court Ruling on Leadership and Atiku Nomination Could Spark Unrest

Rotimi Amaechi, the African Democratic Congress vice-presidential candidate, has cautioned that a Federal High Court decision that invalidated the party’s leadership and its presidential nomination process could lead to unrest unless the dispute is handled carefully. Last Thursday, Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja ruled that the National Working Committee headed by former Senate President David Mark was not valid. The judgment also annulled the emergence of former Interior Minister Rauf Aregbesola as national secretary and decisions made by the Mark-led leadership, including the process that made former Vice President Atiku Abubakar the party’s presidential candidate for 2027. The court instructed the Independent National Electoral Commission not to recognise or act on decisions taken at the ADC’s 99th National Executive Committee meeting on July 27, 2025. The ruling came in suit FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025, filed by Nafiu Gombe, a former ADC deputy national chairman for the North-East, who challenged how Mark and other caretaker committee members assumed control of the party. In an interview on Mainland 98.3 FM, Amaechi said that after learning of the ruling he met with Atiku and the party chairman, and that they agreed to call for calm. “It could cause a civil war if not properly managed. When we heard the news, we quickly met, myself and the presidential candidate and the chairman of the party, and we said: ‘please, lower the tempo’,” he said. Amaechi rejected Gombe’s challenge, saying Gombe signed a resignation document at the same time as former party chairman Ralph Nwosu. He also said a video showed Gombe standing behind Mark during the handover. “There is no internal rift in our party, none,” Amaechi said. He accused the ruling All Progressives Congress of seeking to inflame the dispute and discourage voters after what he described as a show of support for the ADC in Sokoto. Amaechi argued that Tinubu would face competition in the South-West from candidates including Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, whom he expected to perform strongly in his home state. He also predicted that Peter Obi would win the five South-East states. Amaechi described the South-South as a key battleground, pointing to his own roots in the region, and portrayed Atiku as having a strong position across the 19 northern states. Reflecting on the APC presidential primary before the 2023 election, Amaechi said he refrained from campaigning because then-President Muhammadu Buhari had promised to announce him as his preferred candidate. “The only mistake I made was listening to the late President Muhammadu Buhari, who told me: ‘don’t campaign, don’t do anything; I will announce you as my candidate’,” he said. Amaechi said Buhari’s assurance was put in writing and that he followed the instruction because Buhari was his superior. He said he might have won the primary had he campaigned, citing what he described as support from governors. He also accused Tinubu of making political deals and benefiting from appeals to religious solidarity during the contest. Amaechi claimed a delegation of southern Muslims urged northern governors to back Tinubu on religious grounds. He said Nasir El-Rufai, whom he described as a former supporter, later spoke publicly about faith as a factor in the decision. Amaechi said he would not ask Catholics to vote for him on the basis of their faith, arguing that such appeals could deepen divisions in the country. “I will never play religious politics,” he said.