2027: ADC-PCC fumes as court withholds Lifu’s judgment despite payment

By Luminous Jannamike ABUJA — The African Democratic Congress (ADC) Presidential Campaign Council has accused the Federal High Court of withholding the judgment delivered by Justice Peter Lifu, despite payment for certified true copies, demanding its immediate release to enable affected parties challenge the ruling. The council said the delay had left the affected parties unable to establish the precise orders made by the court or exercise their right to seek appropriate legal remedies, despite the judge’s declaration in open court that copies of the judgment were ready.

In a statement on Monday, its Director of Strategic Communication, Phrank Shaibu, said lawyers representing the first and third defendants had applied for the certified true copies, with both applications bearing the court’s official ‘PAID’ stamp. According to the council, counsel to the third defendant applied on November 5, 2026, the day the judgment was delivered, while counsel to the first defendant submitted an application on November 6.

“If the judgment was ready, there is no excuse for keeping it from the parties. Release it now,” the council demanded. It described the delay as a denial of access to justice, insisting that litigants should not be made to struggle to obtain a judgment they need to understand and challenge. “A judge cannot announce that a judgment is ready and leave litigants to chase the document they need to understand and challenge it,” Shaibu said.

The ADC-PCC warned that the case, involving the leadership of a major political party and the rights of its members, had implications beyond an ordinary administrative dispute, arguing that withholding the judgment could undermine public confidence in the judiciary. The council also revisited its earlier objection to Justice Lifu presiding over the case, recalling that its National Secretary, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, had questioned the judge’s impartiality, citing previous appellate decisions which, according to the party, raised concerns about his competence and neutrality.

It said the failure to release the judgment had further heightened those concerns. The council also questioned the timing of the judgment, alleging that its delivery days after the ADC’s Sokoto campaign launch, followed by the delay in releasing the certified copy, raised suspicions about the circumstances surrounding the proceedings. “The public is entitled to ask whether this was a judicial process — or a calculated attempt to deliver a political blow while denying the party the document needed to challenge it,” Shaibu said.

The ADC-PCC vowed to explore every lawful avenue to obtain the judgment and challenge the ruling, demanding an explanation for the delay and accountability for those responsible.