Former Rivers State Governor and African Democratic Congress vice-presidential candidate, Rotimi Amaechi, has called on party members and supporters to sustain their mobilisation for the 2027 general elections despite a Federal High Court judgement invalidating the party’s leadership structure and presidential primary.
Amaechi made the appeal on Tuesday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, where he urged supporters not to allow the legal setback to derail the party’s political activities.
He said the ADC leadership was taking the necessary legal steps to challenge the judgement and expressed confidence that the appellate court would address the issues raised by the party.
“What we have done is continue to let our supporters know that everybody should be calm and continue with your campaign,” he said.
The former Minister of Transportation also disclosed that the party had initiated an appeal but was yet to obtain the Certified True Copy of the judgement, which he said was necessary for its legal team to pursue further proceedings.
“We can’t even see the judgment. He needs to hand over the judgment to us so we can go to the Court of Appeal,” Amaechi said.
The controversy followed a November 5 judgement by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which nullified the ADC’s 99th National Executive Committee meeting held in July 2025 and decisions arising from it.
The ruling also invalidated the party’s primary elections, including the exercise that produced former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar as its presidential candidate for the 2027 election.
The case originated from a suit filed by Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former deputy national chairman of the ADC, who challenged the emergence of the David Mark-led national leadership.
Gombe argued that he was entitled to assume the position of national chairman following the resignation of the party’s former chairman, Ralph Nwosu.
The dispute subsequently reached the Supreme Court, which in April returned the matter to the Federal High Court for determination of the substantive issues.
Reacting to Justice Lifu’s decision, Amaechi questioned the manner in which the court handled the jurisdictional issue, arguing that it ought to have been resolved before other aspects of the case were considered.
He maintained that jurisdiction was fundamental to the determination of any legal dispute and expressed surprise that arguments on other issues were entertained before that question was settled.
The ADC vice-presidential candidate, however, declined to make further comments on the judgement, noting that the matter was now before the appellate court.
He said the party would depend on its legal representatives, whom he described as experienced Senior Advocates of Nigeria, to pursue the case.
Amaechi also dismissed claims of a leadership crisis within the ADC, insisting that the transition which produced Mark as national chairman was legitimate.
He referred to a video recording which he claimed showed Gombe congratulating Mark during the leadership handover, arguing that the development contradicted suggestions that the party was divided.
The former governor further accused the ruling All Progressives Congress of attempting to undermine opposition parties ahead of the 2027 elections.
According to him, the ADC’s political activities were focused on presenting alternative solutions to Nigeria’s economic and security challenges, rather than engaging in distractions.
“When we are campaigning, we are addressing issues. We are addressing the issue of the economy, social housing and security. They are not interested,” he said.
Amaechi also defended Atiku’s proposal for a production-based petroleum subsidy, explaining that the policy was designed to encourage local refining rather than support the importation of petroleum products.
He argued that government intervention should focus on supplying crude oil to domestic refineries at prices below the international market rate, with the difference representing the proposed subsidy.
Using an illustration, he said crude oil that could sell internationally for about N15,000 could be made available to local refiners for approximately N10,000, leaving the government to cover the N5,000 difference.
He said the arrangement would strengthen domestic refining capacity, support the Dangote Refinery and encourage the growth of modular refineries.
The ADC chieftain stressed that the proposal should not be confused with the previous fuel subsidy system, which he said largely benefited petroleum importers.
He recalled supporting the removal of the former subsidy arrangement but faulted the manner in which President Bola Tinubu’s administration implemented the policy.
Turning to the economy, Amaechi criticised the Federal Government’s borrowing and infrastructure spending, questioning the value Nigerians had received from the administration’s financial commitments.
He claimed that the Tinubu government had accumulated more than N143tn in borrowings within approximately three years and demanded greater accountability over the utilisation of the funds.
He also questioned the estimated cost and procurement process of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, which he put at about N33tn.
Amaechi argued that the government should have prioritised the completion of the East-West Road, which he said would provide significant economic benefits to communities across the Niger Delta.
He estimated that completing the outstanding sections of the road towards Calabar would require about N500bn, arguing that the project would serve several South-South states, including Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Bayelsa, Edo and Delta.
The former governor also faulted what he described as the administration’s infrastructure priorities and challenged Nigerians to compare the economic conditions under Tinubu with those experienced during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
He urged voters to assess the records of political leaders seeking elective offices rather than relying solely on campaign promises.
“President Tinubu, Vice President Atiku, myself, Shettima, we have all sat in government,” he said.
Amaechi challenged Nigerians to evaluate the performances of the political figures and decide who deserved their votes in the forthcoming presidential election.
