The party says the case was transferred a day after it formally protested the proposed reassignment. It is also demanding the judgment and says its lawyers have taken the matter to the Court of Appeal.
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) Presidential Campaign Council has asked the National Judicial Council (NJC) to examine the transfer of a case from Justice Emeka Nwite to Justice Peter Lifu at the Federal High Court.
In a statement dated November 10, 2026, the council said the reassignment took place a day after the party formally protested to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho. It said the timing raised concerns about the process and called on the NJC to review the transfer, the protest letter and Justice Lifu’s conduct in the case.
The campaign council said its lawyers had taken the legal issues to the Court of Appeal, whose authority to determine them it said it respected. It also called for the immediate release of the full judgment, saying the party needed an official copy and the court’s reasons to pursue further legal action.
According to the statement, the plaintiff had asked for the case to be removed from Justice Nwite’s docket, citing delays and a loss of confidence in obtaining a timely hearing. The council said Justice Nwite had not recused himself and remained a serving judge when the request was made.
The campaign council said its lawyers responded to the request on May 11, 2026, disputing the plaintiff’s account of the adjournments and arguing that the application amounted to forum shopping. It said ADC National Secretary Rauf Aregbesola then wrote to Justice Tsoho on June 2, asking him to reverse the reassignment and formally objecting to the transfer.
The case was assigned to Justice Lifu the following day, the statement said. The council questioned why the transfer proceeded despite its protest and urged Justice Tsoho to make public the reasons for his decision.
The statement also referred to a separate judgment by Justice Musa Liman, which the campaign council said dismissed a challenge to the ADC leadership for lack of merit and locus standi. According to the council, Justice Liman held that the dispute was an internal party matter, declared the leadership handover lawful and said the Independent National Electoral Commission was entitled to recognise the party’s National Chairman and National Secretary.
The ADC campaign council argued that Justice Lifu’s subsequent orders could not simply set aside those findings. It said its lawyers had raised the issue before the Court of Appeal.
The council also cited a separate case in which it said Justice Lifu ordered the deregistration of the ADC and four other political parties despite an appellate court order staying proceedings. The statement said the Court of Appeal later nullified the deregistration judgment and described the decision to proceed as the “highest form of judicial impertinence”, while referring to Supreme Court authority on “judicial rascality”.
The campaign council further referred to a Code of Conduct Bureau inquiry involving Justice Tsoho over allegations concerning undeclared bank accounts. It also mentioned press reports alleging that a large amount of cash had been found in the possession of his wife, while noting that the EFCC had not publicly confirmed the report. The statement stressed that the allegations did not establish guilt.
The council suggested that pressure from powerful figures could be a concern, but the statement did not provide evidence that President Bola Tinubu had personally influenced the transfer or identify anyone as having threatened or blackmailed Justice Tsoho. It said that, if no pressure had affected the decision, the Chief Judge should give the public a full account of the reassignment.
The campaign council said the matter raised broader concerns about public confidence in the judiciary and urged judges to consider how their decisions would be viewed by history. It called on the NJC to examine the transfer and the related proceedings.
The statement also challenged the ruling All Progressives Congress to contest Atiku Abubakar politically rather than through court proceedings. It said the ADC would continue to defend its position before the Court of Appeal and maintain that voters’ right to choose their president should not become a bargaining tool in political disputes.
The statement was signed by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communications for the ADC Presidential Campaign Council. It did not include responses from Justice Tsoho, Justice Lifu, President Tinubu, the EFCC or the Code of Conduct Bureau.
