By Myke Uzendu, Abuja
A support group known as Forum of ADC Candidates has petitioned the United Nations (UN), European Union (EU) and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), seeking diplomatic intervention over the controversy surrounding the party’s leadership and the withholding of the Certified True Copy (CTC) of a recent Federal High Court judgment.
The group also petitioned the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Abuja, demanding the immediate release of the CTC of the judgment delivered on November 5, 2026, by Justice Peter O. Lifu in suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025, involving Nafi’u Bala Gombe against the ADC and others.
Addressing officials of the United Nations at the UN House in Abuja, the group’s leader, Aliyu Audi, said the petition was intended to draw international attention to what he described as threats to Nigeria’s democratic process and the need for the government to respect the rule of law.
Audi urged the UN to explore available diplomatic options to ensure that democratic principles were upheld, arguing that political competition and access to judicial remedies were essential components of democracy.
According to him, denying parties the opportunity to challenge court decisions could undermine democratic competition and turn elections into what he described as a coronation rather than a democratic contest.
He said the group was prepared to exhaust all available legal avenues to seek redress, insisting that Nigeria’s democratic institutions must be protected.
“We are going to hold him accountable and we just want the United Nations to bear us witness in every step we take,” Audi said, referring to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the government’s handling of the controversy.
The UN delegation received the group’s letter and acknowledgement copy. Those present included Suzanne Su, Head of the Resident Coordinating Office; Ronald Kayanja, Head of the UN Information Centre; and Mahmoud Sinasi, Deputy Head of Security.
In a separate petition addressed to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, the group demanded that the court’s Registrar be directed to release the certified judgment within 24 hours.
The petition stated that Justice Lifu, in his November 5 judgment, voided the emergence of Senator David Mark as National Chairman of the ADC and invalidated actions taken by him, including the nomination of the party’s candidates for the 2027 general elections.
The petitioners said they disagreed with the judgment but were determined to exercise their constitutional right of appeal.
They alleged that their counsel applied for the CTC immediately after the judgment was delivered and paid the prescribed fees, adding that the judge had indicated that the document was ready.
However, according to the petition, the CTC had not been released as of November 10, five days after the judgment, despite repeated visits by their lawyers to the court registry.
The group alleged that the delay was frustrating its right of appeal, citing Sections 241 and 242 of the 1999 Constitution, which provide for appeals against decisions of the Federal High Court.
It also invoked Section 294(1), arguing that the failure to make the written judgment available to the parties could undermine access to justice.
The petition further alleged that the ruling APC was pressuring the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to implement the judgment despite the fact that the ADC group had yet to obtain its certified copy. The allegation was not independently established in the material presented.
Describing the situation as a potential threat to the opposition party’s ability to seek judicial redress before the election timetable advances, the petitioners declared: “Democracy dies not by coup, but by Registry delay.”
The group also notified the Chief Judge that its support groups, members, candidates and concerned Nigerians would gather peacefully at the Federal High Court premises in Abuja on Wednesday, November 11, at 10 a.m. to demand the release of the CTC.
It stressed that the planned gathering was not intended as a protest against the judiciary but as a demonstration to demand access to the document required to approach the Court of Appeal.
The petition was also copied to the President of the Court of Appeal, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, the National Judicial Council (NJC), the Chairman of INEC and the Nigerian Bar Association, Abuja Branch.
The group said it remained committed to peaceful and lawful efforts to challenge the judgment and protect what it described as Nigeria’s democratic space.
At the UN Building, the petition was received and acknowledged by Suzanne Su, Head of the Resident Coordinating Office accompanied by Ronald Kayanja, Head of the UN Information Center and Mahmoud Sinasi, Deputy Head of Security.
