“Even Me Who Is Just 3 Years Old As A Lawyer, I Won’t Give This Kind Of Judgment” — Amaechi Knocks Lifu Over ADC Ruling

Former Minister of Transportation and chieftain of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, Rotimi Amaechi, has condemned the Federal High Court judgment nullifying the Senator David Mark-led leadership of the party, describing it as a judgment no elementary lawyer would give.

Amaechi spoke in an interview on News Central TV on the judgment delivered on Thursday, November 5, 2026, by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, which sacked the Mark-led National Working Committee and nullified all decisions taken under its leadership, including the party’s presidential primary that produced former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar as its candidate for the 2027 general election.

The suit was instituted by former ADC Deputy National Chairman, North-East, Nafiu Bala Gombe.

Amaechi said the judgment violated elementary law that the internal affairs of a political party remain the internal affairs of the party, and that no court has jurisdiction over a leadership struggle between two persons.

“Every elementary lawyer would know that that judgment was not properly given. The reason is it’s elementary law that the internal affairs of the party remains internal affairs of the party,” Amaechi said.

“When the judge refuses to listen to the Supreme Court, he is overruling the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court has said that, and not even now, from the 60s, that leadership struggle between two persons is the internal affairs of a party and no court has a jurisdiction. And we put that before the court. The court ignored it and gave the judgment they gave.”

He said the party has already gone on appeal to reassure its supporters, explaining that the Supreme Court does not have original jurisdiction, which lies with the Federal High Court, hence the need to go through the appellate process.

“That is the wisdom of the judge, we are going on appeal. I don’t want to go beyond that. Because like I said, just to reassure our supporters that it’s surprising, the court in the latest SDP matter before the court said the same thing. In our own matter, why they didn’t give that judgment was because they wanted us to go to the high court and hear the high court first before we can come to the Supreme Court,” he said.

“Because the Supreme Court does not have original jurisdiction. That original jurisdiction lay within the sphere of the Federal High Court. So we’ve gone, we’ve had him, so we’re going to appeal. I don’t think we should have that conversation so that we don’t bring the judiciary before the public. Let us leave it at that.”

Amaechi admitted that the judiciary has both good and bad men, and that judgments are often judged by who benefits from them, but insisted this particular judgment fell far below standard.

“The judiciary, they are good men in judiciary, they are also bad men. And whether if the judgment is for you, some will say it’s good, others will say it’s bad, depend on who you are. But this one is as honestly with all respect to Justice Lifu. This one, even me who is just three years old as a lawyer, I won’t give this kind of judgment.”