ADC coalition are noismaking rascals who will not be allowed to get away with disobeying court order — Tinubu
Tinubu also attacked the coalition, dismissing it as a “calabash” and accusing senior opposition figure Atiku Abubakar of failures during his time under former president Olusegun Obasanjo.
If threats by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu are anything to take seriously, the just concluded convention of the Senator David Mark-led faction of the African Democratic Congress was an unlawful waste of time.
Mark’s ADC held its convention on 14 April despite a court order to stay proceedings.
At the event the party amended its constitution and expelled members who had questioned the legality of founder Ralph Nwosu’s handover of the party to Mark and his team. That same Tuesday a court heard a case brought by the party’s Abia chairman Don Norman Obinna and his colleagues, and ordered ADC to suspend its convention until the matter is determined on 23 April.
During the hearing the ADC lawyer representing David Mark was asked whether the party intended to hold a convention; he said no. The convention, however, was taking place that same day. Obinna and his elected colleagues went to court because Mark’s ADC wanted them sacked and replaced.
Another case was brought by Nafiu Bala, who claims the party’s national chairmanship; he obtained a court order requiring the party to maintain the status quo and refrain from taking any steps that would undermine a future court ruling on the matter.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) capitalised on the court pronouncement by delisting Mark and his executives from its portal and refusing to communicate with any ADC faction until all court cases are resolved.
Despite this, Mark’s ADC went ahead with the convention, saying INEC’s revised timeline leaves little time for the opposition to organise before the 2027 general elections, and accusing President Tinubu’s ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of seeking to destabilise opposition parties.
The president, however, appears to see things differently.
“We will not submit to noise, rascality, or disobedience to lawful court orders,” Tinubu said while addressing supporters on Thursday.
“We must uphold democracy, respect the judiciary whether it favours us or not, and remain faithful to the principles that hold our nation together. They cannot scare me off. I have been down this road before and, if I must walk it again and again for our country, I will. I give you my word: I will not run away from this task. I will not give up.”
Tinubu also attacked the coalition, dismissing it as a “calabash” and accusing senior opposition figure Atiku Abubakar of failures during his time under former president Olusegun Obasanjo.
“If you look at all of them, no one without history among these calabash,” he said. “The head (referring to Atiku0 was chairman of the privatisation council of Nigeria at one time. He privatised the steel industry in Delta. Is it working today? They privatised Ajaokuta. Is it working today?”
He then quipped that the ADC crisis stemmed from an attempt to privatise the party. “They privatised another man’s political party; that one says no.”
INEC’s timetable allows parties to hold primaries between 23 April and 30 May, with a deadline of 10 May for submitting membership registers — ensuring registers are filed at least 21 days before primaries.
The consequences of Tinubu’s warning for the opposition should be clearer by 30 May.
