ADC youths protest in Abuja, reject alleged ‘one-party state’ plot

Hundreds of youths from the African Democratic Congress marched to the Federal High Court in Maitama, Abuja, on Tuesday, demanding the removal of Hon. Justice Peter Odo Lifu over a ruling ordering the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the ADC and four other political parties.

Led by the ADC National Youth Leader, Hon. Balarabe Rufai, the protesters moved from the party’s Wuse 2 secretariat to the court, chanting, “Justice Lifu must go.”

They carried placards bearing messages such as: “Judiciary is not for sale,” “Save our democracy now,” “Don’t force Nigerians into chaos,” and “No to one-party state.”

The youths vowed to sustain the protest until Justice Lifu is removed and insisted that the ADC must be on the 2027 ballot.

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“No ADC, no election,” they declared.

Addressing journalists, Rufai urged former Presidents and Heads of State — Olusegun Obasanjo, Abdulsalami Abubakar, Ibrahim Babangida, and Goodluck Jonathan — to intervene, saying the current administration was steering Nigeria towards a one-party state.

“With the way our judiciary is going in the hands of people like Justice Lifu, Nigerians will lose hope. And when people lose hope in the judiciary, there will be hopelessness. We are Nigerian youths. This is our country, and we do not want chaos,” he said.

Rufai also called on the Attorney-General of the Federation to “call Justice Lifu to order” and have him removed.

He described the judgment against the ADC as “not honourable at all.”

The ADC said it had petitioned the National Judicial Council, accusing Justice Lifu of proceeding with the case despite a Court of Appeal order staying proceedings.

The party described it as “a move that subverts stare decisis and constitutes gross misconduct.”

Rufai said the NJC had yet to act on the petition.

“We have come here physically because what we are experiencing now is judicial banditry, and it must stop. When a judge proceeds after a higher court has stayed proceedings, that is judicial banditry. People like that should not be in the system,” he added.