Former National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Ralph Nwosu, has criticised judicial involvement in determining the leadership of political parties, saying such disputes should not be settled by the courts.
Nwosu spoke on Tuesday, July 14, during an interview on ARISE News, a day after the Court of Appeal in Abuja upheld a Federal High Court order restraining the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognising congresses conducted by committees appointed by the David Mark-led leadership of the ADC.
The appellate court also ruled that the congresses and national convention organised under the Mark-led leadership were invalid because they were held in defiance of an existing court order.
The ADC has since announced plans to challenge the judgment at the Supreme Court, insisting that the ruling relates only to the party’s congresses and does not affect its direct primaries or the emergence of its candidates for the 2027 general election.
Reacting to the development, Nwosu argued that the judiciary should not be deciding who leads political parties.
“The Supreme Court has ruled time and time again that matters concerning the leadership of any political party are not for the court to decide.
“Because we are getting to a part where the court will now decide who becomes president and the political parties and everything, and that becomes useless,” Nwosu said.
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He described the legal contest over the party’s leadership as an attempt to use the courts for political purposes.
“So what is happening is basically political rascality. Politicians, the men of the moment, thinking that they can wield the very hard rod and beat everybody to their whims,” Nwosu said.
The former party chairman also defended the legitimacy of the ADC’s current National Working Committee, insisting it remains the recognised leadership of the party.
“A court of competent jurisdiction has confirmed that David Mark and the current NWC are properly elected.
“And that is in place until any other court changes that. Apart from that, we are operating based on our constitution and also the guidelines of INEC,” Nwosu said.
He further argued that Monday’s Court of Appeal decision should not be interpreted as affecting the party’s leadership or the nomination of its candidates.
“The Appeal Court of yesterday (Monday) talked about the congresses, not about the primaries, and not about the leadership of the party,” Nwosu said.