High Court Ruling: AA candidate warns against weakening opposition

By Ibrahim Hassan-Wuyo The presidential candidate of the Action Alliance (AA), Faduri Oluwadare Joseph, has warned that increasing judicial involvement in political party disputes could undermine democratic participation and weaken opposition politics ahead of the 2027 general elections. Joseph, popularly known as Fadojoe, expressed concern over the implications of the Federal High Court judgment concerning the leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the presidential nomination of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar.

In a statement issued under his Operation Rescue Nigeria 2027 platform, the AA candidate said the judgment had raised questions about the independence of the judiciary, the future of political competition and the state of Nigeria’s democracy. He said his intervention was not motivated by membership of the ADC but by the need to protect democratic participation and the right of Nigerians to freely choose their leaders.

According to him, an injustice against democratic participation in one political party could eventually affect other parties and candidates. “Today, it is Atiku Abubakar and the ADC. Tomorrow, it could be Peter Obi, myself, or any other opposition candidate,” he said. Joseph maintained that although political parties and candidates must operate within the law, the judiciary should ensure that its decisions did not undermine the fundamental principles of democratic participation.

He expressed concern over what he described as a growing trend of political parties spending more time in courtrooms defending their leadership structures and electoral rights than presenting their programmes to Nigerians. The AA candidate also questioned the increasing influence of internal party disputes, prolonged litigation and conflicting judicial interpretations on the electoral process.

He argued that courtrooms should not become substitutes for ballot boxes, insisting that the judiciary must protect justice and public confidence in the democratic process. Joseph further raised concerns about the state of opposition politics under President Bola Tinubu’s administration, citing persistent leadership disputes, factional disagreements and legal battles involving opposition parties.

He noted that the ADC had accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of attempting to weaken the opposition through legal processes, but stressed that such allegations required independent examination. The presidential candidate urged Tinubu and the APC to recognise the importance of a strong opposition in sustaining democratic governance. He recalled Tinubu’s involvement in the pro-democracy struggle against military rule, particularly the activities of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), arguing that democratic freedoms should be protected regardless of political affiliation.

Joseph said the rights and freedoms demanded by pro-democracy activists during the military era should also be guaranteed to those opposing the present administration. He warned that Nigeria’s democratic system could be weakened if opposition parties and their candidates were unable to compete freely in elections.