The factional National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress, Nafiu Bala Gombe, has commended the Federal High Court for what he described as its independent, impartial and courageous handling of the party’s leadership dispute.
Bala, in a statement on Thursday reacting to the judgment in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025, involving him, the ADC and four others, praised the trial judge for determining the case based on constitutional and statutory provisions rather than political considerations.
He described the dispute as politically sensitive and nationally significant, saying it raised important issues bordering on party autonomy, internal democracy, constitutional compliance and the regulatory responsibilities of INEC.
“With profound respect for the Bench, and with a deep sense of duty to the administration of justice in Nigeria, I most respectfully commend the Federal High Court and the trial judge for the independent, impartial and intellectually rigorous manner in which His Lordship handled and determined the above-referenced matter,” he said.
Bala said the judgment reinforced the principle that political parties must operate within the provisions of their constitutions and the Electoral Act.
“By subjecting the question of leadership emergence to constitutional and statutory scrutiny, rather than political expediency, His Lordship affirmed a foundational principle of Nigerian jurisprudence: political parties are not above their own constitutions, and the Electoral Act is not a mere suggestion,” he stated.
He argued that courts had a responsibility to intervene where political parties failed to comply with their established rules and procedures, adding that such intervention was necessary to protect democracy and uphold the rule of law.
