2027 Elections: Coalition Raises Alarm over Court Ruling on David Mark-led ADC

• The Coalition for Democracy condemned a Federal High Court ruling that it said targeted the ADC's Senator David Mark-led leadership and its 2027 presidential candidacy
• The multiparty group, formed at the G100 Opposition Summit in Abuja, warned that the judgment signals a wider campaign to wipe out credible opposition before the 2027 elections
• The Coalition called on opposition parties, the NBA, civil society, and Nigerians to resist what it described as the weaponisation of state institutions against political competitors

Abuja, FCT - The Coalition for Democracy has spoken out against a Federal High Court judgment it says is part of a deliberate effort to remove credible opposition from Nigeria's political landscape ahead of the 2027 general elections.

In a statement signed by Salihu Moh. Lukman on behalf of the Coalition on Friday, November 6, 2026, the group condemned Thursday's ruling, which it said purported to dissolve the Senator David Mark-led leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and strip the party of its presidential candidacy.

The Coalition described the judgment as a dangerous escalation and warned that what is happening to the ADC today could happen to any other opposition party tomorrow.

Court Ruling Sparks Opposition Alarm

The group said the ruling followed a pattern of pressure on opposition parties, including attacks on supporters, obstruction of political activities, and the growing use of state institutions against political rivals, concerns it had already raised publicly just a day before the judgment was delivered.

"The courts must never become instruments through which political competition is extinguished," the statement read.

"Those who seek to destroy the opposition in order to guarantee their own victory must understand that they are not merely threatening political parties; they are threatening the very foundations of the Republic."

While acknowledging the right of parties to seek legal redress and affirming respect for judicial independence, the Coalition insisted that no government that cannot tolerate opposition retains the moral authority to describe itself as democratic.

The group also warned that shrinking democratic space carries serious consequences for national stability, arguing that peaceful societies depend on citizens having real political alternatives.

Coalition Calls for Unity Among Opposition Forces

The Coalition announced its solidarity with the ADC's decision to challenge the ruling through further legal processes and called on a broad range of groups to stand against what it characterised as institutional manipulation of the political process.

Those called upon include all opposition parties, the Nigerian Bar Association, civil society organisations, organised labour, the media, and the general public.

"An attack on one is an attack on all," the statement concluded. "The ballot must remain the battlefield of democracy."

The Coalition for Democracy was formed following the G100 Opposition Summit held in Abuja on August 31, 2026. It brings together nine parties: the ADC, Allied Peoples Movement, Democratic Leadership Alliance, National Rescue Movement, Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peoples Democratic Party, Peoples Redemption Party, Social Democratic Party, and Youth Progressives Party. The platform was set up to coordinate opposition efforts and defend political pluralism ahead of Nigeria's 2027 general elections.

ADC Reacts to Court Judgment Sacking David Mark Leadership

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the African Democratic Congress (ADC) rejected the Federal High Court judgment in Abuja that sacked the Senator David Mark-led national working committee and voided Atiku's presidential candidacy.

The national publicity secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, called the ruling a politically motivated attempt to weaken the opposition.

The judgment came less than 24 hours after a presidential campaign rally in Sokoto drew what the party described as hundreds of thousands of supporters.