The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of obstructing its campaign following the sealing of Arewa House, Kaduna, the venue proposed for its presidential candidate, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s consultation with Northern stakeholders.
The party blamed the APC-led Kaduna State Government for the closure.
Atiku, in remarks quoted by his campaign council, said: ‘My campaign team had proposed the Arewa House as the venue for our consultation with stakeholders on Thursday and, today, the APC government decided to seal the building.’
But a member of the APC Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), Abdulhakeem Adegoke Alawuje, said Atiku, not the ruling party, should take responsibility for the legal and political crisis threatening his ambition.
In a statement yesterday, the Director of Strategic Communications of the ADC PCC, Phrank Shaibu, described Arewa House as part of the shared heritage of the diverse peoples of the North, saying its sealing undermined the right of political parties to hold consultations.
He linked the development to the party’s campaign flag-off in Sokoto, which he alleged the APC-led government had also tried to frustrate, and said the party held Tinubu and the APC politically responsible for what it called a pattern of obstruction against the opposition.
‘An outgoing president and a ruling party should respect democratic competition, not use public authority to impede the opposition, restrict political consultation or weaken Nigerians’ right to choose,’ Shaibu said.
He said the ADC would not be intimidated and would continue its consultations, pursue its legal rights and take its message to Nigerians.
The party also raised concern over the timing of the release of the certified true copy (CTC) of the November 5 judgment of Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, which nullified the emergence of Senator David Mark as ADC National Chairman and all actions taken under his leadership, including the nomination of the party’s candidates for next years election.
Shaibu said the CTC was released on the seventh day, the last day allowed under Section 294(1) of the 1999 Constitution, leaving the party little time to study the decision and prepare its legal response. He said the ADC would study the judgment and pursue all lawful remedies.
Also yesterday, members of the Forum of ADC Candidates in Nigeria, led by Audu Aliyu, marched to the office of the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, and the United Nations (UN) building in Abuja, demanding the release of the judgment.
In their petition to Justice Tsoho, dated November 10, and signed by Aliyu, the candidates said their lawyers applied for the CTC immediately after judgment was delivered in the suit filed by Nafi’u Bala Gombe against the ADC and others. They said the prescribed fees were paid, but the document had not been released as of the time of protest, despite repeated visits to the court registry.
Citing Sections 294(1), 241 and 242 of the Constitution, they said the delay was frustrating their right of appeal. They asked the Chief Judge to direct the registrar to release the document to their lawyers within 24 hours, warning that further delay could undermine their ability to file a competent appeal within the electoral timetable.
The candidates said although they disagreed with the judgment, they would challenge it through appropriate legal channels. They also alleged that they had credible information that the APC was pressuring the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to implement the judgment immediately.
At the UN building, Aliyu said: ‘We’re here to submit a letter to the United Nations, drawing your attention and appealing that you use all possible diplomatic options to get the government to obey the law, let democracy thrive. I mean, there is no democracy if there is no competition.’
He accused the Tinubu administration of undermining democracy through abuse of judicial processes and public institutions, arguing that denying political actors access to the courts would turn elections into a coronation.
‘We are going to exhaust every available legal means of seeking redress. We just want the United Nations to bear us witness in every step we take,’ Aliyu said.
The petition was received by the Head of the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office, Suzanne Su, who was accompanied by the Head of the UN Information Centre, Ronald Kayanja, and Deputy Head of Security, Mahmoud Sinasi.
They acknowledged receipt but made no comment on the issues raised.
The petitions were copied to the European Union Delegation, the British High Commission, the United States Embassy, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, the President of the Court of Appeal, the President of the ECOWAS Commission, the INEC Chairman and the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Abuja Branch, among others.
The candidates said they were not asking foreign governments or institutions to take sides in a domestic legal dispute, but to support due process, the right of appeal and credible elections.
They warned that implementing the judgment before the legal process ran its course could exclude a major opposition party’s candidates, including its presidential candidate, from the ballot.
The forum urged the diplomatic missions to encourage the authorities to release the judgment and refrain from altering the ballot while appeals and applications for stay of execution were pending. It also urged them to encourage INEC to remain neutral and transparent, press security agencies to respect peaceful assembly and keep the pre-election period, including the litigation, under observation.
The candidates invoked Nigeria’s obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance and the democratic principles of the African Union.
Alawuje, in his statement, questioned why a politician of Atiku’s experience, a former vice president and multiple-time presidential candidate, would stake his ambition on the ADC without first ensuring that its leadership crisis was conclusively resolved.
He said the dispute over Mark’s emergence as national chairman was neither unexpected nor hidden, and that Atiku and other stakeholders had sufficient opportunity to address it before the party held the presidential primary that produced him as candidate.
‘The APC cannot automatically be blamed for every disagreement within the ADC. Atiku, the ADC leadership and other influential stakeholders must answer for the decisions within their control,’ he said.
Alawuje said allegations of political interference, intimidation or abuse of state institutions must be supported by evidence and investigated where necessary.
He asked Atiku to explain what safeguards were put in place to protect his nomination and who advised him to proceed under the disputed arrangement, saying his supporters deserved honest explanations not emotional appeals and accusations against the ruling party.
If Atiku’s name eventually failed to appear on INEC’s final presidential ballot, subject to appellate orders, Alawuje said, the former vice president should first examine the decisions that brought him to that point.
He said he was neither celebrating Atiku’s predicament nor defending the APC against any proven wrongdoing, adding that Nigeria needed a strong and responsible opposition.
‘A man who wants to lead Nigeria must first demonstrate that he can take responsibility for his own political decisions. Nigeria does not need politicians who are only accountable when things go in their favour,’ Alawuje said.