Atiku Blasts Tinubu Over Court-Ordered Scrap of ADC and Four Other Parties, Warning Against a Traitorous Move to Destroy Opposition Ahead of 2027

The political atmosphere in Nigeria has hit a boiling point following a controversial Federal High Court ruling that ordered the immediate deregistration of five prominent opposition political parties, triggering an explosive war of words between former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the presidency.

The far-reaching judgment, delivered by Justice Peter Lifu in Abuja, effectively wipes several active alternative platforms off the ballot. The legal challenge, engineered by a group known as the National Forum of Former Legislators, argued successfully that the affected parties had breached the constitution by failing to secure minimum performance requirements such as winning at least one legislative seat or clearing a 25 percent voter threshold in a state during national elections.

The sudden regulatory purge drops a massive logistical roadblock directly in front of the opposition’s newly formed alliances for the 2027 electoral cycle. The decision comes just days after the African Democratic Congress (ADC) made headlines by unveiling a high-profile “unity and rescue ticket” featuring Atiku Abubakar as its presidential standard-bearer and former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi as his running mate.

Refusing to take the judicial hit sitting down, Atiku went on the offensive, pointing fingers directly at the Aso Rock rock command for using shadowy groups and legal technicalities to systematically dismantle the country’s multi-party democracy. The PDP heavyweight turned to history to deliver a blunt lecture to President Bola Tinubu on democratic tolerance.

“President Bola Tinubu must realize that a healthy democracy relies entirely on the coexistence of vibrant alternative voices, not the forced consolidation of a one-party state,” Atiku warned in a strongly worded political brief. “Even at the height of intense political friction, former Presidents Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari never weaponized regulatory or judicial channels to deregister main opposition parties just to guarantee their own political survival. They respected the right of the opposition to exist and compete. The current administration must learn from their predecessors and stop this desperate attempt to choke the life out of our democratic structures.”

The fallout from the courtroom has quickly extended beyond standard political rhetoric into a full-blown institutional crisis. Frontline lawmakers and civil society watchdogs have raised serious red flags over the transparency of the verdict.

In a heated briefing at the National Assembly, House of Representatives member Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere held up legal documents to the media, accusing the high court of committing “judicial suicide.” Ugochinyere alleged that the judgment was rushed through despite the fact that the Court of Appeal had already issued a clear, binding stay of execution designed to freeze all deregistration movements until a comprehensive constitutional review could be held.

The affected political platforms including the ADC, Accord, and the Zenith Labour Party have already signaled their intention to fight the ruling through every available legal corridor, refusing to withdraw their candidates from upcoming regional contests.

With defense lawyers racing to file emergency counter-appeals to reverse Justice Lifu’s order, the opposition has unified around a single message: while the ruling party may hold the reins of state power, any attempt to narrow the democratic playing field will only push the country toward instability, setting up an intense legal and political showdown before the next general ballot.