The Coalition for Democracy has warned that the Federal High Court judgment nullifying the leadership of the African Democratic Congress and affecting its presidential candidacy poses a serious threat to Nigeria’s multiparty democracy ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The coalition called on opposition parties, civil society organisations, organised labour, the Nigerian Bar Association and the media to unite against what it described as attempts to undermine political pluralism and weaken democratic institutions.

In a statement issued on Friday, the group, through its spokesperson, Salihu Lukman, described the judgment as a dangerous escalation in what it alleged was a systematic campaign to eliminate credible opposition in the country.

It warned that the development involving the ADC could set a precedent for other opposition parties, raising concerns about the shrinking democratic space and the ability of political organisations to freely participate in electoral contests.

The Coalition for Democracy considered Thursday’s Federal High Court judgment purporting to dissolve the Senator David Mark-led leadership of the African Democratic Congress and invalidate its presidential candidacy as a dangerous escalation in what appears to be a systematic campaign to eliminate credible political opposition ahead of the 2027 general elections,” Lukman said.

He recalled that the coalition had previously expressed concerns over alleged attacks on opposition supporters, obstruction of political activities and the purported use of state institutions against political opponents.

According to him, the latest judgment has given those concerns a new and disturbing urgency.

Lukman questioned whether the ruling party remained committed to allowing meaningful political opposition, arguing that attacks on opposition parties through different institutional channels could undermine public confidence in the democratic process.

When opposition parties are attacked on the streets, frustrated by state institutions, and threatened with elimination through judicial pronouncements, Nigerians must ask whether the ruling party still intends to face any meaningful opposition at the ballot box,” he said.

While acknowledging the independence of the judiciary and the constitutional right of aggrieved parties to seek legal redress, the coalition cautioned against situations in which court decisions could be perceived as instruments for extinguishing political competition.

It maintained that any attempt to weaken opposition parties to guarantee electoral victory would threaten not only the affected organisations but also the foundations of the Nigerian Republic.

“A government that cannot tolerate opposition has lost the moral authority to call itself democratic,” Lukman declared.

He further warned that the continued restriction of democratic space could have serious implications for national stability, insisting that no democracy could sustain lasting peace if citizens were denied meaningful political alternatives.

The coalition stressed that electoral contests must remain the legitimate means of determining political leadership, rather than what it described as institutional manipulation.

“The ballot must remain the battlefield of democracy. No political party should be allowed to achieve through institutional manipulation what it fears it cannot achieve through the votes of Nigerians,” he said.

The group also expressed solidarity with the ADC over its decision to challenge the judgment through the appropriate judicial channels.

It argued that defending political pluralism should not be left to the affected party alone, urging other political organisations and democratic institutions to speak out against developments capable of weakening Nigeria’s multiparty system.

“Let it be known: the Coalition for Democracy will not stand by while Nigeria is reduced to a democracy without opposition, elections without alternatives, and ballots without genuine choices,” Lukman said.

He added, “An attack on one is an attack on all. We will resist it together.”

Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, delivered the judgment on Thursday in a suit instituted by a rival ADC faction led by Nafiu Bala Gombe against the Senator David Mark-led leadership.

The ruling has also affected the party’s preparations for the 2027 general elections, including the joint presidential ticket involving former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi.

The ADC leadership and Atiku have rejected the judgment and indicated their intention to challenge it at the Court of Appeal.

The Coalition for Democracy emerged from the G-100 Opposition Summit held in Abuja on August 31, 2026.

The group comprises nine political parties, including the ADC, Allied Peoples Movement, Democratic Leadership Alliance, National Rescue Movement, Nigeria Democratic Congress, a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party, Peoples Redemption Party, Social Democratic Party and Youth Progressives Party.

The coalition was established to coordinate opposition parties around the defence of constitutional democracy, political pluralism, the rule of law and credible elections ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State has warned members and promoters of the political group, Boye Nation, against campaigning for candidates of different political parties ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The party insisted that anyone supporting President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid must also work for all other APC candidates contesting elective positions in the state.

It consequently urged the group to either return to the APC and support its candidates across board or stay away from its campaign activities.

The warning followed the circulation of a video on social media showing campaign-branded vehicles displaying photographs and messages in support of President Tinubu and the governorship candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) in Oyo State, Bimbo Adekanmbi.

The vehicles reportedly carried the symbol of Boye Nation alongside the logos of the APC and APM, although no accompanying voice messages were heard.

In a statement issued in Ibadan on Thursday, the Oyo APC Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, said the party had received reports indicating that some individuals behind the activities of Boye Nation in the state were allegedly planning to create confusion within the political space.

Sadare, however, said the APC remained open to reconciliation with aggrieved members who had left the party, urging them to reconsider their political decisions.

He said, “We have got the reports from different sources that some individuals, who are behind the Boye Nation activities in Ibadan, are perfecting plans to create confusion in the polity.

“Some of these people celebrate their confusion on social media, but we can only wish them the best of luck. Information has it that some individuals who left our party recently are now trying to campaign for President Bola Tinubu against the presidential candidate of their new party.

“While we sympathise with the man in question, as he and his group must have realised the fatal error in their recent political move, we urge them to return home and play the role expected of them as progressive family members.”

The APC spokesman cautioned that the party’s willingness to reconcile with former members should not be interpreted as weakness.

He also rejected the use of campaign materials bearing the identities of multiple political parties, stressing that support for Tinubu must extend to other APC candidates.

“If you are supporting our presidential candidate, Asiwaju Tinubu, you must be intentional by working for the governorship, senatorial, House of Representatives and House of Assembly candidates of the APC at the same time, as doing otherwise would be unacceptable to us,” the statement added.

PUNCH Online reports that Ajiboye Sangogade, popularly known as Boye Nation, a former personal assistant and loyalist of ex-Minister of Power, Bayo Adelabu, led a group of APC members who defected to the APM in Oyo State in September 2026.

The development highlights the political differences surrounding party loyalty and campaign alignments ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Former Zamfara State Governor and Director-General of the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council, Abdulaziz Yari, has challenged Ekiti residents to deliver at least 800,000 votes for President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.

Yari made the appeal on Thursday during the APC campaign rally in Ekiti State, where he urged residents to increase their support for Tinubu, insisting that the President had performed well and deserved a second term.

Speaking at the rally, which was monitored on television by our correspondent, Yari said the Tinubu administration had not neglected Ekiti, citing investments in education, road infrastructure, youth development and women’s empowerment.

“Asiwaju has not forgotten the people of Ekiti. He has done his best by introducing schools and universities, constructing roads, providing educational support to youths and empowering women, among other initiatives,” he said.

Yari urged Ekiti residents not to allow what he described as the achievements of the Tinubu administration to go to waste.

“The labour of this great democrat cannot be allowed to go in vain,” he added.

Tinubu is seeking re-election in the January 16, 2027, presidential election, as scheduled by the Independent National Electoral Commission.