Atiku condemns judgment seeking ADC deregistration, calls it assault on democracy

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has condemned a court judgment seeking to deregister the African Democratic Congress and several other opposition political parties, describing it as a coordinated assault on constitutional democracy ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Atiku, in a statement issued on Sunday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, said the ruling should alarm every Nigerian who believes in democracy, political pluralism and the rule of law.

The former vice president said the judgment was particularly troubling because it was delivered despite a subsisting order of the Court of Appeal which had expressly stayed further proceedings in the matter pending the determination of an appeal.

“On May 22, 2026, the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, granted an application staying further proceedings in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/2637/2025 pending the hearing and determination of the appeal before it,” he said, adding that any action taken contrary to that order raises serious questions about respect for the hierarchy of courts and fidelity to the rule of law.

Atiku said the judgment fits into an increasingly obvious pattern of political persecution and institutional manipulation aimed at weakening opposition parties before the next election cycle, accusing the Tinubu administration of being singularly focused on eliminating major political opponents ahead of 2027.

“Rather than confronting the mounting crises facing the nation — rampant insecurity, economic hardship, rising poverty, unemployment, and the declining purchasing power of ordinary Nigerians — the government appears consumed by a desperate quest to neutralise every viable opposition platform. This is not governance. It is political elimination by other means,” he said.

The former presidential candidate urged ADC members and supporters of democratic governance not to be discouraged, vowing to pursue all lawful and constitutional avenues to defend the party and preserve Nigeria’s multiparty system.

He called on the judiciary, civil society organisations and the media to remain vigilant and resist every attempt to subvert democratic institutions for partisan advantage.