The All Progressives Congress (APC) has denied any involvement in the protracted legal dispute arising from the internal leadership crisis rocking the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

In an official statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, and released to journalists in Abuja, the ruling party maintained that it had no hand in the suit instituted by ADC National Chairman (North-East), Nafiu Bala Gombe, who challenged the procedure through which Senator David Mark and other caretaker committee members assumed control of the opposition party.

Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja had on Thursday nullified the Mark-led leadership of the ADC and invalidated all actions taken under its tenure, including the primary election that produced former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as its standard-bearer for the 2027 presidential poll.

Reacting to allegations of external interference, Morka described the crisis engulfing the opposition platform as an entirely self-inflicted wound.

“Every time a court decides against the Senator David Mark-led factional African Democratic Congress (ADC), they accuse the All Progressives Congress (APC) of collusion and deprecate the judiciary. Every time a court decides in their favour, they hail the rule of law and extol the judiciary. That is the habitual folly of a vessel of a party scuttled by its own pirate leaders,” Morka stated.

“The ADC touts its desire to win power and govern democratic Nigeria without any iota of regard for the authority and independence of the judiciary, an indispensable pillar of any democracy. In their warped reckoning, only courts and judges that side with them are worthy while those that rule differently are a menace to society. That is senselessness in the extreme.

“The court judgment that has sent the ADC in a tailspin had to do with a notorious case initiated by leaders of ADC against pirate leaders of ADC. To be clear, APC is neither a party nor an interlocutor in the matter. Nothing about the case has anything to do with the APC. And the APC has absolutely no role in the party’s judicial quagmire.”

The APC spokesperson maintained that the judicial verdict arose from legitimate internal resistance against an unlawful hijacking of party structures.

“The case resulted from a legal challenge brought by ADC national officers victimized by the bare-faced heist of the party’s leadership by David Mark and his co-pirates to satisfy Atiku Abubakar’s quixotic presidential ambition. It didn’t matter to them that their hostile takeover of that party was in flagrant violation of the rule of law and ADC’s internal democracy, as a court of competent jurisdiction has now declared.

“Now they lash out in a fit of rage at the court and innocent spectators for the judicial outcome that was the inevitable consequence of their reckless political misadventure. They rave and rant senselessly, peddle conspiracy theories, but take no responsibility or accountability for the self-inflicted injury that the court only judicially certified.

“Yesterday’s judgment by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, sacking the David Mark-led leadership of ADC and consequentially nullifying all official acts of the illegitimate party leadership, including its primary election processes and outcomes was procured by their own lawlessness and demonstrates the vibrancy of the rule of law and independence of the judiciary in Nigeria,” he noted.

Morka advised the ADC to follow statutory legal channels rather than blaming external actors.

“If ADC is dissatisfied with that decision, it should exercise its constitutional right of appeal rather than engage in partisan mudslinging against our great Party and issuing threats to incite anarchy against the same Nigerians they claim they desire to govern.

“The ADC is a decrepit party, and continues to prove itself as grossly unfit to be taken seriously by Nigerians, and Nigerians are unperturbed by their irresponsible and dangerous rhetoric. A party that cannot fix itself cannot possibly fix Africa’s most important country.

“Our great Party and the President Tinubu administration remain committed to preserving Nigeria’s democracy, upholding the rule of law, and delivering good governance to all Nigerians, and unfazed by the wolf cries of a drowning opposition,” the statement concluded. (Tribune)