Omooba 🇳🇬

APC to ADC: Your defiant posture amounts to illegality Text of A Press Conference by the All Progressives Congress National Working Committee of the baseless allegations by the Senator David Mark Factional Leadership of the African Democratic Congress It is imperative to address the Nigerian people on the deliberate mischief and puerile propaganda of Senator David Mark and his co-travelers parading themselves as “coalition politician” at the ignoble press conference held on Thursday 2 April, 2026. The highlights of their press conference, shorn of unwarranted verbal vituperations, are: 1.⁠ ⁠Claim that Bola Ahmed Tinubu is deliberately weakening opposition parties to force a one-party state ahead of 2027. 2.⁠ ⁠Contention that INEC acted unlawfully by withdrawing recognition of their leadership, misinterpreting the Court of Appeal’s order that status quo ante bellum should be maintained and that by this INEC is effectively taking sides against them. 3.⁠ ⁠Accusing INEC of partisanship and contempt of court, while calling for the removal of the INEC Chairman and commissioners. 4.⁠ ⁠Insistence that their July 2025 leadership remains valid and thereby proceeding with party activities. 5.⁠ ⁠Warning Nigerians and the international community of a looming threat to democracy. We find it pertinent to interrogate these allegations, dispassionately and lay bare the facts of the matters at stake with a view, not only to show the falsehood been peddled by David Mark and his co-travelers, but to enlighten Nigerians and the International Community about the unserious nature of the so called opposition coalition. Claim that President Tinubu is Weakening Opposition to force a one-party state ahead of the 2027 election 1.1 As of today, there are 19 registered political parties in Nigeria with the potential to compete in the 2027 election, and President Tinubu has no power to deregister any political party. 1.2 Nigerians must know that the present predicament of David Mark and his ilk has to do with the untidy way they hijacked the leadership of an existing political party without carrying along all stakeholders resulting in court litigation before the Federal Hight Court and the adverse judgment of the Court of Appeal upon which the INEC predicated its decision not to recognise any of the two contending parties for the leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) pending the determination of the suit by the court. 1.3 The ADC went to the Court of Appeal over an internal leadership dispute that was still ongoing at the trial court, and in doing so, made a fundamental legal mistake. The appellate court found that the lower court had not granted the injunctive relief sought but merely asked the defendants to show cause why the orders sought should not be granted, implying that Senator David Mark’s faction's appeal was built on a faulty premise. 1.4 Worse still, the key issue of jurisdiction was still pending at the trial court, making the appeal premature, and they failed to obtain the required leave for an interlocutory appeal, an error serious enough to render the entire case incompetent. 1.5 The appeal was therefore completely dismissed, with the court ordering all parties to maintain the status quo and avoid any actions that could disrupt the ongoing case, effectively portraying ADC as acting hastily, procedurally flawed, and in disregard of due legal process. 1.6 For the avoidance of doubt, in dismissing an appeal filed by David Mark, the Court of Appeal ordered thus: 1.⁠ ⁠That Suit No. FCT/ABJ/CS/1819/2025, be and is hereby granted an accelerated hearing in view of the Electoral Time-Table released by the 4th Respondent. 2.⁠ ⁠That the parties are hereby directed to maintain the status quo ante bellum and shall refrain from taking any step or doing any act capable of foisting a fait accompli on the court or otherwise rendering nugatory the proceedings before the trial court. 3.⁠ ⁠Costs of N2,000,000.00 (Two Million Naira) is awarded in favour of the 1st Respondent. 1.7 It is the above orders of the court that are being put into effect by INEC, and we are at a loss as to the basis for the allegation that President Bola Tinubu is weakening opposition in the circumstances. David Mark approached the Court of Appeal, and his appeal was dismissed as unmeritorious; the status quo was ordered to be maintained, and costs were awarded against him. In the circumstance, where does President Bola Tinubu feature in their predicament, if not outright fallacious and malicious propaganda? 1.8 The David Mark factional ADC leadership appear to be indulging in self-delusion by positioning themselves as the leading opposition, when their recent electoral outings clearly suggest otherwise. You cannot lay claim to national relevance while your performance at the polls remains abysmal and unconvincing. Since the inception of their so-called coalition, they have been roundly rejected at the polls by Nigerians, including during the recently held Local Government Area Council election in the Federal Capital Territory. 1.9 Leadership of the opposition is not declared through press conferences or rhetoric; it is earned through consistent electoral credibility and public trust, both of which they have struggled to demonstrate. 1.10 Therefore, President Bola Tinubu and indeed the All Progressives Congress cannot be bothered about the contraption of electoral unviability being bandied as a “coalition”! The Purported Misinterpretation of the Court of Appeal Decision by INEC and Alleged Bias of INEC The ADC orders being implemented by the Independent National Electoral Commission were a consequence of the dismissal of an appeal filed by Senator David Mark and his faction at the Court of Appeal, where the decision did not go in their favour, but rather the Court of Appeal upheld the position of the respondent. If Senator Mark and his factional ADC leadership believe INEC’s interpretation is flawed, they ought to know the proper channel to seek redress—the courts. INEC, on its part, has categorically stated that it is acting in line with maintaining the status quo ante bellum as directed by the Court of Appeal. The public, defiant posture of Senator Mark and his factional ADC leadership against the orders of the Court of Appeal and their implementation by INEC not only amounts to self-help but also to recklessness and a clear display of irresponsibility. More concerning is their posture toward the Independent National Electoral Commission and the rule of law. Insisting on proceeding with party congresses despite an ongoing case at the Federal High Court challenging their leadership raises serious questions about their respect for legal processes. Such defiance signals a troubling disregard for institutions and due process, undermining any claim to democratic responsibility. Their call for the sack of the INEC Chairman and other INEC Commissioners further exposes a lack of seriousness and understanding of leadership processes of established institutions. As experienced politicians and former public office holders, they ought to know the constitutional process governing appointments and tenure within INEC, and that decisions are taken by the commission, not the Chairman alone. It is preposterous that these undemocratic elements dare to call for the removal of not only the INEC Chairman but the entire National Commissioners! Insistence to Proceed with Planned Congresses and Convention In Defiance of Court of Appeal Orders and Pending Litigation at the Federal High Court Nigerians should also note that the sacked David Mark’s leadership of the ADC has insisted on proceeding with its scheduled activities, including congresses and conventions, despite an ongoing case at the Federal High Court challenging their leadership and in defiance of the subsisting judgment. This again raises serious questions about their respect for legal processes and the rule of Law. It is settled law that court decisions are binding on all parties until set aside by a competent court. The avowed refusal by Senator Mark and his co-travellers to comply with court decisions demonstrates a troubling disregard for the rule of law and democratic responsibility. Making those bold assertions of defiance to judicial processes and institutional decisions, despite the clear legal implications that all parties must maintain the status quo to avoid foisting fiat acompli in the ongoing proceedings at the trial court, showed clear desperation and absence of democratic and rule of law credentials by Mark and his factional ADC leadership. Their initial resort to an interlocutory appeal appears to be a hasty, flawed procedural attempt to stall proceedings at the trial court, undertaken in disregard of due legal process. The public should therefore be aware that the defiant actions being pursued by the David Mark-led factional leadership of the ADC amount to illegality. When those actions are eventually declared null and void by the courts, it would be disingenuous to blame President Bola Tinubu and the ruling party for the consequences of their own disregard for the rule of law. We hope that they will not come to tell Nigerians that it is the APC or President Bola Tinubu that is weakening democracy, only to meet the consequences of their planned illegality! Look Inward and Stop Finger Pointing The ADC must also come to terms with a hard truth: blaming other parties will not fix their internal crises. No amount of external finger-pointing can erase their consistent failures or resolve their lingering leadership issues. It is wishful thinking to assume that other political parties will step in to rescue them from problems they have repeatedly failed to manage. When All Progressives Congress lost all the seats it had won in Zamfara State due to its own unresolved internal crisis, and Peoples Democratic Party became the beneficiary, everyone agreed it was the rule of law taking its course. No outrage, no conspiracy theories, just the consequences of failing to put your house in order. Thank you all. Signed Senator Surajudeen Ajibola Basiru Ph.D., BL National Secretary, All Progressives Congress 3 April, 2026

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BREAKING ADC is taking its fight for democracy global. As part of our efforts to strengthen international engagement, we are establishing a Special Representatives Network across key global capitals to engage foreign governments, amplify credible information about Nigeria’s political environment, and counter one-sided government narratives. This comes amid growing attacks on our members, attempts to undermine our leadership, and efforts to restrict political participation ahead of the 2027 General Elections. Our representatives will engage foreign governments, international media, democracy institutions, and the Nigerian diaspora, providing regular briefings on political developments, human rights concerns, and electoral integrity. We are also launching a National Documentation Initiative to systematically track and report incidents affecting political participation across Nigeria. From Washington DC to London, Brussels to Addis Ababa, ADC is building a global platform for accountability. Nigeria’s democracy must be seen, heard, and defended everywhere.

Yesterday defenders of democracy, today's destroyers, What a shame. What an irony of history, that the acclaimed defenders of democracy and human rights who claimed to have fought for democracy during the era of General Sani Abacha now find themselves worse than the man they opposed. Today, General Sani Abacha, once presumed face of oppression, will be remembered as seemingly more democratic and more respectful of human rights than the so-called champions of activism from the NADECO days. Power indeed reveals character. A New Nigeria is POssible. -PO

Dear Akin, I am surprised you interpreted Peter Obi's tweet in this manner. You see, when you are talking to a professor of English, there are certain mistakes you don't expect him to make. You expect near-perfect use of English from him. Therefore, the yardstick you use to evaluate him will be different from the one you use to evaluate an O-level holder. This is exactly the point Obi was making in his tweet. With people who fought the military now in charge, Nigerians, including Obi, expected a near-perfect system of respect for the rule of law. We can't use the same standard we used for Abacha to judge NADECO members. Therefore, if they score 35% and Abacha scored 30%, we would conclude that Abacha, being a military officer, did better. This is exactly the same way we would conclude that an O-level holder who scored 30% did better than a professor of English who scored 35% on an English Language test. This is exactly the point Obi expressed in that tweet.

I wanted to stop political commentary this season but keeping quiet is no longer an option. Tinubu has no bone of democratic tendency in his body. Selfish, egomaniac and wicked! Somebody that single-handedly changed our national anthem, without public discourse??? Don’t tell me “National Assembly approved it”. Our National Assembly presently is like Abacha’s Provisional Ruling Council (PRC). Any opposition to what the supreme leader wants will be crushed, so they are in survival mode for their political and personal lives. This democrat suspended a duly elected governor and forced him to join his party. This same democrat has not paid Osun state LGA allocations for more than a year now. Ask all his deputies while he was a governor Unfortunately, the judiciary is in his armpit too. This NADECO man that deemed it fit to appoint Abacha’s bagman as his minister of budget and planning? In case you have forgotten, according to the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) and various reports, Bagudu helped Abacha to launder billions of dollars of public funds from Nigeria. That is who Tinubu handed the key to our Budget and Planning. His current best friend and business partner, Chagoury, was also Abacha’s henchman. In case you have forgotten who Chagouri was, he aided the Abacha regime by facilitating the movement of stolen funds (over $120 million) into Swiss bank accounts. Chagoury was convicted of money laundering by the Swiss in 2000. Guess what your NADECO man did within a month or two of getting to power. He awarded the biggest infrastructure project ($13 billion) to Chagoury’s company without ANY due process. No Environmental Impact Assessment. Nothing. Just to crown it all, Chagoury was conferred the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON), Nigeria's second-highest national honor by Tinubu. In 1997, TheNEWS published a forceful exposé by former journalist Bayo Onanuga (our president’s spokesman) alleging that our president’s best friend, Chagoury had "hijacked" Nigeria’s economy and "pocketed" its political class during the Abacha years. So if you have two of the worst money launderers ever to grace the Nigerian political space as your friends and close confidants then it is not too farfetched to understand what is happening. Show me your friend……… Nigeria of today is a big criminal enterprise with a government of the Criminals; for the Criminals; by the Criminals. We play too much in this country.

Yesterday defenders of democracy, today's destroyers, What a shame. What an irony of history, that the acclaimed defenders of democracy and human rights who claimed to have fought for democracy during the era of General Sani Abacha now find themselves worse than the man they opposed. Today, General Sani Abacha, once presumed face of oppression, will be remembered as seemingly more democratic and more respectful of human rights than the so-called champions of activism from the NADECO days. Power indeed reveals character. A New Nigeria is POssible. -PO

I wanted to stop political commentary this season but keeping quiet is no longer an option. Tinubu has no bone of democratic tendency in his body. Selfish, egomaniac and wicked! Somebody that single-handedly changed our national anthem, without public discourse??? Don’t tell me “National Assembly approved it”. Our National Assembly presently is like Abacha’s Provisional Ruling Council (PRC). Any opposition to what the supreme leader wants will be crushed, so they are in survival mode for their political and personal lives. This democrat suspended a duly elected governor and forced him to join his party. This same democrat has not paid Osun state LGA allocations for more than a year now. Ask all his deputies while he was a governor Unfortunately, the judiciary is in his armpit too. This NADECO man that deemed it fit to appoint Abacha’s bagman as his minister of budget and planning? In case you have forgotten, according to the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) and various reports, Bagudu helped Abacha to launder billions of dollars of public funds from Nigeria. That is who Tinubu handed the key to our Budget and Planning. His current best friend and business partner, Chagoury, was also Abacha’s henchman. In case you have forgotten who Chagouri was, he aided the Abacha regime by facilitating the movement of stolen funds (over $120 million) into Swiss bank accounts. Chagoury was convicted of money laundering by the Swiss in 2000. Guess what your NADECO man did within a month or two of getting to power. He awarded the biggest infrastructure project ($13 billion) to Chagoury’s company without ANY due process. No Environmental Impact Assessment. Nothing. Just to crown it all, Chagoury was conferred the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON), Nigeria's second-highest national honor by Tinubu. In 1997, TheNEWS published a forceful exposé by former journalist Bayo Onanuga (our president’s spokesman) alleging that our president’s best friend, Chagoury had "hijacked" Nigeria’s economy and "pocketed" its political class during the Abacha years. So if you have two of the worst money launderers ever to grace the Nigerian political space as your friends and close confidants then it is not too farfetched to understand what is happening. Show me your friend……… Nigeria of today is a big criminal enterprise with a government of the Criminals; for the Criminals; by the Criminals. We play too much in this country.

I wanted to stop political commentary this season but keeping quiet is no longer an option. Tinubu has no bone of democratic tendency in his body. Selfish, egomaniac and wicked! Somebody that single-handedly changed our national anthem, without public discourse??? Don’t tell me “National Assembly approved it”. Our National Assembly presently is like Abacha’s Provisional Ruling Council (PRC). Any opposition to what the supreme leader wants will be crushed, so they are in survival mode for their political and personal lives. This democrat suspended a duly elected governor and forced him to join his party. This same democrat has not paid Osun state LGA allocations for more than a year now. Ask all his deputies while he was a governor Unfortunately, the judiciary is in his armpit too. This NADECO man that deemed it fit to appoint Abacha’s bagman as his minister of budget and planning? In case you have forgotten, according to the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) and various reports, Bagudu helped Abacha to launder billions of dollars of public funds from Nigeria. That is who Tinubu handed the key to our Budget and Planning. His current best friend and business partner, Chagoury, was also Abacha’s henchman. In case you have forgotten who Chagouri was, he aided the Abacha regime by facilitating the movement of stolen funds (over $120 million) into Swiss bank accounts. Chagoury was convicted of money laundering by the Swiss in 2000. Guess what your NADECO man did within a month or two of getting to power. He awarded the biggest infrastructure project ($13 billion) to Chagoury’s company without ANY due process. No Environmental Impact Assessment. Nothing. Just to crown it all, Chagoury was conferred the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON), Nigeria's second-highest national honor by Tinubu. In 1997, TheNEWS published a forceful exposé by former journalist Bayo Onanuga (our president’s spokesman) alleging that our president’s best friend, Chagoury had "hijacked" Nigeria’s economy and "pocketed" its political class during the Abacha years. So if you have two of the worst money launderers ever to grace the Nigerian political space as your friends and close confidants then it is not too farfetched to understand what is happening. Show me your friend……… Nigeria of today is a big criminal enterprise with a government of the Criminals; for the Criminals; by the Criminals. We play too much in this country.

I wanted to stop political commentary this season but keeping quiet is no longer an option. Tinubu has no bone of democratic tendency in his body. Selfish, egomaniac and wicked! Somebody that single-handedly changed our national anthem, without public discourse??? Don’t tell me “National Assembly approved it”. Our National Assembly presently is like Abacha’s Provisional Ruling Council (PRC). Any opposition to what the supreme leader wants will be crushed, so they are in survival mode for their political and personal lives. This democrat suspended a duly elected governor and forced him to join his party. This same democrat has not paid Osun state LGA allocations for more than a year now. Ask all his deputies while he was a governor Unfortunately, the judiciary is in his armpit too. This NADECO man that deemed it fit to appoint Abacha’s bagman as his minister of budget and planning? In case you have forgotten, according to the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) and various reports, Bagudu helped Abacha to launder billions of dollars of public funds from Nigeria. That is who Tinubu handed the key to our Budget and Planning. His current best friend and business partner, Chagoury, was also Abacha’s henchman. In case you have forgotten who Chagouri was, he aided the Abacha regime by facilitating the movement of stolen funds (over $120 million) into Swiss bank accounts. Chagoury was convicted of money laundering by the Swiss in 2000. Guess what your NADECO man did within a month or two of getting to power. He awarded the biggest infrastructure project ($13 billion) to Chagoury’s company without ANY due process. No Environmental Impact Assessment. Nothing. Just to crown it all, Chagoury was conferred the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON), Nigeria's second-highest national honor by Tinubu. In 1997, TheNEWS published a forceful exposé by former journalist Bayo Onanuga (our president’s spokesman) alleging that our president’s best friend, Chagoury had "hijacked" Nigeria’s economy and "pocketed" its political class during the Abacha years. So if you have two of the worst money launderers ever to grace the Nigerian political space as your friends and close confidants then it is not too farfetched to understand what is happening. Show me your friend……… Nigeria of today is a big criminal enterprise with a government of the Criminals; for the Criminals; by the Criminals. We play too much in this country.

I wanted to stop political commentary this season but keeping quiet is no longer an option. Tinubu has no bone of democratic tendency in his body. Selfish, egomaniac and wicked! Somebody that single-handedly changed our national anthem, without public discourse??? Don’t tell me “National Assembly approved it”. Our National Assembly presently is like Abacha’s Provisional Ruling Council (PRC). Any opposition to what the supreme leader wants will be crushed, so they are in survival mode for their political and personal lives. This democrat suspended a duly elected governor and forced him to join his party. This same democrat has not paid Osun state LGA allocations for more than a year now. Ask all his deputies while he was a governor Unfortunately, the judiciary is in his armpit too. This NADECO man that deemed it fit to appoint Abacha’s bagman as his minister of budget and planning? In case you have forgotten, according to the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) and various reports, Bagudu helped Abacha to launder billions of dollars of public funds from Nigeria. That is who Tinubu handed the key to our Budget and Planning. His current best friend and business partner, Chagoury, was also Abacha’s henchman. In case you have forgotten who Chagouri was, he aided the Abacha regime by facilitating the movement of stolen funds (over $120 million) into Swiss bank accounts. Chagoury was convicted of money laundering by the Swiss in 2000. Guess what your NADECO man did within a month or two of getting to power. He awarded the biggest infrastructure project ($13 billion) to Chagoury’s company without ANY due process. No Environmental Impact Assessment. Nothing. Just to crown it all, Chagoury was conferred the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON), Nigeria's second-highest national honor by Tinubu. In 1997, TheNEWS published a forceful exposé by former journalist Bayo Onanuga (our president’s spokesman) alleging that our president’s best friend, Chagoury had "hijacked" Nigeria’s economy and "pocketed" its political class during the Abacha years. So if you have two of the worst money launderers ever to grace the Nigerian political space as your friends and close confidants then it is not too farfetched to understand what is happening. Show me your friend……… Nigeria of today is a big criminal enterprise with a government of the Criminals; for the Criminals; by the Criminals. We play too much in this country.

I wanted to stop political commentary this season but keeping quiet is no longer an option. Tinubu has no bone of democratic tendency in his body. Selfish, egomaniac and wicked! Somebody that single-handedly changed our national anthem, without public discourse??? Don’t tell me “National Assembly approved it”. Our National Assembly presently is like Abacha’s Provisional Ruling Council (PRC). Any opposition to what the supreme leader wants will be crushed, so they are in survival mode for their political and personal lives. This democrat suspended a duly elected governor and forced him to join his party. This same democrat has not paid Osun state LGA allocations for more than a year now. Ask all his deputies while he was a governor Unfortunately, the judiciary is in his armpit too. This NADECO man that deemed it fit to appoint Abacha’s bagman as his minister of budget and planning? In case you have forgotten, according to the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) and various reports, Bagudu helped Abacha to launder billions of dollars of public funds from Nigeria. That is who Tinubu handed the key to our Budget and Planning. His current best friend and business partner, Chagoury, was also Abacha’s henchman. In case you have forgotten who Chagouri was, he aided the Abacha regime by facilitating the movement of stolen funds (over $120 million) into Swiss bank accounts. Chagoury was convicted of money laundering by the Swiss in 2000. Guess what your NADECO man did within a month or two of getting to power. He awarded the biggest infrastructure project ($13 billion) to Chagoury’s company without ANY due process. No Environmental Impact Assessment. Nothing. Just to crown it all, Chagoury was conferred the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON), Nigeria's second-highest national honor by Tinubu. In 1997, TheNEWS published a forceful exposé by former journalist Bayo Onanuga (our president’s spokesman) alleging that our president’s best friend, Chagoury had "hijacked" Nigeria’s economy and "pocketed" its political class during the Abacha years. So if you have two of the worst money launderers ever to grace the Nigerian political space as your friends and close confidants then it is not too farfetched to understand what is happening. Show me your friend……… Nigeria of today is a big criminal enterprise with a government of the Criminals; for the Criminals; by the Criminals. We play too much in this country.

Power does reveal character, but history isn’t optional. Abacha’s regime brought military dictatorship, Ogoni executions, Kudirat’s assassination, billions looted, and a gagged press with many living in fear of being locked in dungeons. Some families never recovered from the trauma and those old wounds have not healed fully. NADECO activists weren’t perfect including a few relatives of mine, but equating them as “worse” than that era romanticizes real atrocities many Nigerians suffered. Let’s critique today’s failures on rule of law and accountability across all sides, but let’s not rewrite the past to score points. I would equally frown tomorrow if someone says endsars protesters, are worse than murderous/criminal police officers. A New Nigeria needs facts, not selective memory. Let’s build Nigeria forward with truth. 🇳🇬