AN INTEREST group, United Friends for Atiku (UFFA), on Wednesday, staged a peaceful protest over alleged delay in the release of the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the judgment nullifying the Sen. David Mark-led leadership of African Democratic Congress (ADC).
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the judgment also affected the nomination of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar who is the party’s presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections.
The UFFA members, who staged the protest at the Federal High Court, called on the judiciary to uphold the rule of law and resist any attempt to use the judicial system to undermine opposition parties.
NAN reports that the protesters also took their action to the United Nations (UN) office to register their displeasure.
They gave the relevant authorities 24 hours to release the CTC and threatened to return with a stronger protest if their demands were not met.
Speaking at the federal high court premises, the coordinator of the group, Audu Aliyu, said ADC had resolved to challenge the judgment at the Court of Appeal.
Aliyu said that the party disagreed with the judgment but remained committed to pursuing its grievances through lawful and constitutional means.
He said the party’s lawyers had applied for the CTC immediately after the judgment was delivered on Nov. 5 and made the necessary payment.
Aliyu, however, alleged that in spite of repeated visits to the court registry, the document had yet to be released as of Tuesday.
He alleged that pressure was being mounted on Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to act on a judgment that had not been made available to the affected party.
“How can a judgment that has not been made available to the affected party be available to some people, to allegedly pressure INEC into taking action?” he queried.
The coordinator said the group had consequently petitioned the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), requesting the immediate release of the CTC to enable the party to exercise its constitutional right of appeal.
In a petition, signed by Aliyu and made available to newsmen, the group described the delay as a serious obstruction to its right to appeal and raised concerns about the fairness of the judicial process.
The petition stated that the judgment nullified the Mark leadership and the party’s National Working Committee as well as actions taken by the leadership, including the nomination of candidates for the 2027 general elections.
It also cited Section 36(1) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, which guarantees the right to fair hearing.
The group argued that withholding the judgment from the affected party while it was allegedly being used to influence INEC could render the constitutional right of appeal meaningless.
“Democracy does not die only through military coups. It can also be undermined through administrative delays and the denial of access to justice,” the petition stated.
The group urged the chief judge to direct the court registry to immediately release the judgment, address the delay and ensure that the rights of all parties were protected.
It reaffirmed its confidence in the judiciary, saying that the protest was only intended to defend the rule of law and not to undermine the institution.
Aliyu said that the petition was also copied to President Bola Tinubu, National Judicial Council (NJC), Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), President of the Court of Appeal, ECOWAS, United Nations, European Union and the U.S. embassy.
The protesters said they would do everything possible to defend democracy and ensure the independence of the judiciary. (NAN)
