Members of the African Democratic Congress have staged a protest at the Federal High Court in Abuja, demanding the release of the certified true copy of the judgment nullifying the party’s National Working Committee led by former Senate President David Mark.
The protesters, who called on the National Judicial Council to intervene, accused the trial judge, Justice Peter Lifu, of withholding the judgment delivered on November 5, thereby frustrating their efforts to challenge the decision at the Court of Appeal.
Speaking during the protest on Wednesday, a former Acting Chairman of the ADC in the Federal Capital Territory, Yusuf Shehu Tijani, described the judgment as a “sham” and urged the judge to release its certified copy.
“Our reason for coming here today is what Justice Lifu is doing. He is holding on to the sham judgment he said he passed. He should send the CTC, so that we can get it and appeal the judgment.
“Moreover, the Supreme Court already affirmed the leadership of Senator David Mark as the National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress. So why is the High Court going against that recognition saying he’s passing a judgment?
“Now the judgment you passed, give us the Certified True Copy so that we can appeal, he is refusing to do that. That is why we are here,” he said.
Tijani said the protest was intended to draw the attention of the NJC to the alleged delay, and compel the judge to release the document.
“So the protest is to call on the NJC to pressure this man, let him do what is right, because justice must prevail in Nigeria. This is not a jungle. This is a country that has laws, that has rules, and we have to follow the Constitution of the country.
“The stated law is that he should send the CTC so that we can appeal the judgment which is a sham judgment in the first place,” he added.
The protest followed a petition dated November 10, addressed to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, by members of the ADC candidates’ forum, demanding the immediate release of the judgment.
In the petition signed by Audu Aliyu on behalf of the candidates, the group said its lawyers applied for the CTC immediately after Justice Lifu delivered the judgment on November 5 and paid the prescribed fees.
However, it alleged that five days after the judgment, the document had yet to be released despite repeated visits by its lawyers to the court’s registry.
The petition reads in part, “We disagree with the judgment. We have a constitutional right to appeal it. But we cannot appeal what we do not have.
“As at today, 10th November, 2026, five (5) days after judgment, the CTC has NOT been released to us. Our lawyers have visited the Registry daily to no avail without any lawful explanation.”
The candidates alleged that they had credible information that the ruling All Progressives Congress was pressuring the Independent National Electoral Commission to implement the judgment despite their inability to obtain its certified copy.
