Court ruling: Protect opposition parties, AA chieftain tells Tinubu

The presidential candidate of the Action Alliance, Faduri Oluwadare Joseph, has urged President Bola Tinubu to protect opposition parties from what he described as growing political and legal pressures, warning that Nigeria risks weakening its democracy ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Joseph, popularly known as Fadojoe, said the recent Federal High Court judgment nullifying the leadership of the African Democratic Congress under former Senate President David Mark and invalidating former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar’s presidential nomination raised serious concerns about political competition and democratic participation.

In a statement on Friday, the AA candidate said the timing of the judgment, barely two and a half months before the 2027 elections, had heightened questions about judicial independence and the future of opposition politics.

He stressed that his intervention was not driven by party affiliation, noting that he was not a member of the ADC.

“Let me state unequivocally that I am not speaking today because I belong to the ADC. I do not. I am the Presidential Candidate of Action Alliance (AA). I am speaking because an injustice against democratic participation anywhere is a threat to democratic participation everywhere,” he said.

Joseph warned that the ruling could set a precedent for other opposition politicians, arguing that the development should concern candidates across party lines.

“Today, it is Atiku Abubakar and the ADC. Tomorrow, it could be Peter Obi, myself, or any other opposition candidate,” he said.

He argued that democracy would lose its meaning if opposition parties could not freely challenge the ruling party and offer Nigerians alternative political choices.

“A democracy that survives only when the ruling party has no serious challenger is not a democracy worth celebrating,” he stated.
The AA candidate acknowledged the judiciary’s responsibility to interpret the Constitution and ensure that political parties operate within the law. However, he warned against prolonged litigation and internal party disputes preventing voters from exercising their rights.

“Why has Nigeria become a country where political parties spend more time defending their existence in courtrooms than presenting solutions to the Nigerian people?” he queried.
He added, “The courtroom must never become a substitute for the ballot box.”

Joseph said no political party or candidate should be above the law, but maintained that judicial decisions must also consider their wider implications for democratic participation.
He called for urgent steps to restore public confidence in the independence, consistency and impartiality of the judiciary.

Turning to Tinubu, Joseph questioned whether the President’s record in the pro-democracy struggle was reflected in his administration’s handling of opposition politics.
He recalled Tinubu’s association with the National Democratic Coalition, NADECO, which campaigned against military rule and demanded the restoration of democratic governance.

“Mr President, you were once associated with the pro-democracy struggles of NADECO, which challenged military authoritarianism and demanded the restoration of democratic governance,” he said.
He added, “How tragic would it be if a man who once stood against military dictatorship presided over a democracy in which political opposition is gradually suffocated?”

Joseph urged the President to extend the democratic freedoms he once fought for to political opponents.
“The democratic freedoms you once demanded must also be extended to those who oppose your government today,” he said.

The AA candidate also referred to the ADC’s allegation that the ruling All Progressives Congress was using judicial processes to weaken opposition parties. He said the claim required independent investigation rather than automatic acceptance or dismissal.

“The ADC has publicly accused the ruling APC of attempting to weaken the opposition through the courts. Such allegations are serious and must be independently examined rather than automatically accepted or dismissed,” he stated.

Joseph said Nigeria’s democratic future depended on protecting political plurality, strengthening institutions and allowing voters, rather than institutional controversies, to determine who leads the country.