Hundreds of young members of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) on Tuesday took to the streets of Abuja to protest against Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court, demanding his removal over a ruling they described as controversial.
The protesters, led by the party’s National Youth Leader, Balarabe Rufai, marched from the ADC national headquarters in Wuse II to the Federal High Court in Maitama, chanting “Justice Lifu must go.”
They displayed placards with messages including “Judiciary is not for sale,” “Judiciary is our last hope,” “Don’t force Nigerians into chaos,” “Save our democracy now,” and “No to one-party state.”
The demonstration followed Justice Lifu’s decision directing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the ADC alongside four other political parties. The protesters insisted the ruling threatens Nigeria’s democratic system and vowed to continue their demonstrations until the judge is removed from office.
Some participants also chanted “No ADC, no election,” while accusing the judiciary of taking actions capable of weakening opposition parties ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Speaking to journalists during the protest, Rufai appealed to former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Ibrahim Babangida and Goodluck Jonathan, as well as former Head of State Abdulsalami Abubakar, to intervene in what he described as efforts to undermine opposition politics and push Nigeria toward a one-party state.
He expressed concern that decisions such as Justice Lifu’s could further diminish public confidence in the judiciary.
Rufai also urged the Attorney General of the Federation to intervene, arguing that the judge’s conduct had raised serious questions about the integrity of the judicial process.
According to him, “We are calling on the Attorney General of the Federation to call Justice Lifu to order. He should be removed. We are also appealing to our former Presidents and Heads of State to step in because many Nigerians are beginning to lose confidence in the system.”
He warned that continued loss of trust in the courts could encourage people to resort to self-help, stressing that the party wants justice rather than disorder.
The ADC youth leader disclosed that the party had already filed a petition against Justice Lifu before the National Judicial Council (NJC), accusing him of continuing with proceedings despite what the party claimed was a subsisting Court of Appeal order staying further action on the matter.
He said the petition alleged that the judge ignored established judicial procedures and engaged in conduct amounting to gross misconduct.
Asked whether the NJC had responded to the complaint, Rufai said the council had yet to take any visible action, adding that the protest was prompted by what he described as its silence.
“We have not received any response from the NJC. That is why we have come out to demand urgent intervention. What we are witnessing is judicial banditry, and it must stop,” he said.
He further alleged that proceeding with the case despite an existing court order amounted to an abuse of the judicial process and maintained that such conduct should not be tolerated.
The protest comes amid heightened political tensions surrounding legal disputes involving the ADC, one of Nigeria’s opposition parties, particularly over court proceedings challenging its continued registration by INEC.
As of the time of filing this report, the National Judicial Council, the body responsible for disciplining judicial officers in Nigeria, had not issued any public response to the petition against Justice Lifu.