Rotimi Amaechi, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) vice-presidential candidate, has warned that a Federal High Court ruling nullifying the party’s leadership structure and presidential nomination process could trigger unrest if the dispute is not properly managed.
Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja ruled last Thursday that the National Working Committee (NWC) led by former Senate President David Mark was invalid.
The judgment also nullified the emergence of former Interior Minister Rauf Aregbesola as the party’s national secretary, as well as decisions taken by the Mark-led leadership, including the process that produced former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as the ADC’s presidential candidate for the 2027 elections.
The court further directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to recognise or act on decisions taken at the ADC’s 99th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting held on July 27, 2025.
The ruling followed a suit, FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025, filed by Nafiu Gombe, a former ADC deputy national chairman for the North-East, who challenged the process through which Mark and other members of the caretaker committee assumed control of the party.
Speaking during an interview on Mainland 98.3 FM, Amaechi said he met with Atiku and the party chairman after learning of the judgment, adding that they agreed to appeal for calm.
“It could cause a civil war if not properly managed. When we heard the news, we quickly met, myself and the presidential candidate and the chairman of the party, and we said: ‘Please, lower the tempo’,” he said.
Amaechi questioned Gombe’s challenge, claiming that he had signed a resignation document around the same time as former party chairman Ralph Nwosu. He also alleged that a video showed Gombe standing behind Mark during the party’s leadership handover.
“There is no internal rift in our party, none,” Amaechi said.
He accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of attempting to fuel the dispute and discourage voters from supporting the ADC following what he described as an impressive show of support for the party in Sokoto State.
Speaking about the 2027 presidential election, Amaechi predicted that President Bola Tinubu would face stiff competition in the South-West from other political candidates, including Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, whom he expects to perform strongly in his home state.
He also predicted that Labour Party’s Peter Obi would win all five states in the South-East.
Describing the South-South as a key battleground, Amaechi pointed to his roots in the region, while expressing confidence in Atiku’s chances across the 19 northern states.
Reflecting on the APC presidential primary ahead of the 2023 general election, Amaechi said he refrained from campaigning because former President Muhammadu Buhari had promised to announce him as his preferred candidate.
“The only mistake I made was listening to the late President Muhammadu Buhari, who told me: ‘Don’t campaign, don’t do anything; I will announce you as my candidate’,” he said.
Amaechi claimed that Buhari’s assurance was put in writing and that he followed the instruction because the former president was his superior.
He added that he might have won the primary had he campaigned, citing what he described as the support he enjoyed from some state governors.
The former Rivers State governor also accused Tinubu of engaging in political deals and benefiting from appeals to religious solidarity during the APC presidential primary.
Amaechi alleged that a delegation of southern Muslims had urged northern governors to support Tinubu on religious grounds. He further claimed that former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, whom he described as a former supporter, later spoke publicly about religion being a factor in the decision.
Amaechi maintained that he would never ask Catholics to vote for him based on their religious affiliation, arguing that such appeals could deepen divisions in the country.
“I will never play religious politics,” he said.
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