Kwankwasiyya warns ADC court ruling could shrink political space ahead of 2027
- A court ruling on Thursday voided the David Mark-led caretaker leadership of the ADC and decisions taken under it.
- The Kwankwasiyya Movement says drawn-out legal fights over opposition parties could weaken preparations for 2027.
- It asked the courts to be fair and INEC to treat all factions equally.
The Kwankwasiyya Movement has voiced concern about a Federal High Court judgment that cancelled the caretaker leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) led by David Mark, along with decisions that leadership took.
The ruling was delivered on Thursday, November 5, 2026. According to Leadership, it also affected the process that produced former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar as the ADC's presidential candidate for the 2027 elections.
The movement's spokesperson, Habibu Mohammed, raised the concerns in a statement. He said the group accepts that the courts have the constitutional power to settle disputes, but worries that repeated litigation over who leads opposition parties and who gets tickets is eating into the time those parties need to organise.
Why it matters
For the ordinary voter, the stakes are simple: a crowded, well-prepared ballot gives people real choices. If opposition parties spend the run-up to 2027 in court instead of building structures, the movement argues, public confidence in the electoral process could fall and the democratic space could narrow.
The group said Nigeria's democracy should rest on political pluralism, independent institutions, equal treatment before the law, and the right of citizens to associate and take part in elections.
It called on the judiciary to handle political disputes with independence, impartiality and diligence, and said every side deserves a fair hearing. Judgments, it said, should rest on the law and the evidence, not on anything outside them.
The movement also urged the Federal Government to show by its conduct that it supports political pluralism, and not to tolerate or gain from anything that weakens legitimate opposition activity.
On the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the group asked the commission to stay neutral and follow the law and valid court orders, so that no faction gets special treatment in the ADC crisis.
In its statement, the movement acknowledged that the ADC intends to appeal the judgment. Kwankwasiyya urged all sides to use the legal remedies available to them peacefully, without political interference, and warned that the dispute should not leave party members, aspirants or voters shut out of a competitive race.
"We are not asking the courts to favour any political party or individual," the statement said, according to Leadership. "We are asking that justice be done fairly, consistently and without fear or favour."
What happens next
The ADC's planned appeal will be the next test. Until it is heard, questions over the party's leadership and its presidential ticket remain unsettled, and INEC will have to decide how to treat the rival factions while the case moves on.
