ADC says Appeal Court judgment won’t affect party primaries, files appeal

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has said the judgment delivered by the Court of Appeal in Abuja on Monday concerning the party’s ward, local government and state executive congresses will not affect the validity of its direct primaries or the emergence of its candidates.

In a statement issued on Monday by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC assured its members and the public that the appellate court’s decision had no bearing on the direct primaries conducted to produce the party’s candidates at all levels.

“The judgment has no effect whatsoever on the direct primaries through which the Party’s candidates have emerged at all levels,” the statement said.

The party disclosed that it had already commenced the process of challenging the judgment at the Supreme Court, insisting that it disagreed with the appellate court’s decision and considered it “legally unsustainable.”

The ADC also drew attention to the dissenting judgment delivered by the presiding justice, saying it more accurately reflected what it described as the settled position of the law and the party’s stance on the matter.

While urging its members and supporters to remain calm, confident and focused, the party reaffirmed its commitment to providing Nigerians with what it described as a credible political alternative.

“The African Democratic Congress remains committed to the task of providing Nigerians with a credible alternative and will continue to pursue that mission in accordance with the Constitution and the rule of law,” the statement added.