ADC Crisis: Dino Melaye Blames ‘Sokoto Tsunami’ for Court Judgment Sacking David Mark, Nullifying Atiku’s Presidential Ticket

ADC Crisis: Dino Melaye Blames ‘Sokoto Tsunami’ for Court Judgment Sacking David Mark, Nullifying Atiku’s Presidential Ticket

 

ABUJA — Former Kogi West Senator and chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Dino Melaye, has blamed what he described as the political “Sokoto Tsunami” for the Federal High Court judgment that nullified the party’s national leadership under former Senate President David Mark and invalidated the emergence of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar as its presidential candidate.

 

Melaye, who spoke on Thursday, November 5, during the ADC presidential campaign in Kebbi State, urged party members and Nigerians to disregard the court judgment, insisting that neither Atiku nor the ADC could be stopped from pursuing their political ambitions.

 

The development followed a judgment delivered by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which declared the Mark-led caretaker committee of the opposition party illegal and invalidated decisions taken under its authority.

 

The ruling also affected the process that produced Atiku as the ADC’s presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections.

 

Reacting to the judgment, Melaye linked the legal setback to the party’s growing political influence in Sokoto State, describing the development as a reaction to what he called the ADC’s political tsunami in the state.

 

He urged supporters not to be discouraged by the ruling, declaring that the party had overcome similar challenges in the past.

 

“We want to assure Nigerians and the people of Kebbi that you should please ignore the court ruling in Abuja today; that judgment is a reaction to the political tsunami in Sokoto State. It was the tsunami that necessitated the judgment,” Melaye said.

 

The former lawmaker also questioned the timing of the court proceedings, alleging that the party received notification of the judgment late at night before it was delivered the following morning.

 

“There was no judgment notice, they sent by 11pm in the night, the judgment will be given in the morning, but they forgot that we have passed through this road many times,” he added.

 

Melaye also alleged that the ADC campaign convoy encountered an attack by security operatives while travelling to Kebbi State.

 

According to him, more than 100 policemen allegedly barricaded the campaign team, throwing stones and firing tear gas at them.

 

He maintained that those behind the alleged attack underestimated the political and security backgrounds of the party’s national chairman and presidential candidate.

 

The court judgment followed a suit instituted by former ADC Deputy National Chairman (North-East), Nafiu Bala Gombe, who challenged the legality of the process through which Mark and other party officials assumed leadership following the resignation of former National Chairman, Ralph Nwosu.

 

Gombe argued that he was constitutionally entitled to assume the party’s leadership following Nwosu’s departure and asked the court to invalidate the decisions taken by the Mark-led caretaker committee.

 

In his judgment, Justice Lifu upheld the plaintiff’s case, declaring the Mark-led caretaker arrangement illegal and nullifying the decisions taken under its authority, including the presidential primary that produced Atiku.

 

The judgment has thrown the ADC’s preparations for the 2027 general elections into uncertainty, with implications for its national leadership, presidential ticket and other candidates nominated under the disputed arrangement.

 

The party, however, has rejected the ruling and indicated its intention to challenge the decision at the appellate court.

 

The latest legal setback comes amid growing political tensions within the opposition party, which has attracted prominent political figures seeking to challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 elections.

 

Melaye’s remarks have added another dimension to the controversy, as the ADC grapples with the legal implications of the judgment and questions surrounding its political future.

 

The outcome of the anticipated legal challenge could prove decisive for the party’s leadership structure and its ability to participate effectively in the forthcoming general elections.

 

ADC Crisis: Dino Melaye Blames ‘Sokoto Tsunami’ for Court Judgment Sacking David Mark, Nullifying Atiku’s Presidential Ticket