The Obidient Movement is weighing its options away from the crisis-ridden African Democratic Congress (ADC) after Thursday’s Supreme Court ruling on the party’s leadership dispute.
The apex court sent the matter back to the Federal High Court, directing that the leadership crisis be resolved on its merits while maintaining the status quo ante bellum.
Prior to the judgment, Interim National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement Worldwide, Yunusa Tanko, had anticipated the Supreme Court would remit the case to the lower court.
He warned on X that a May 5 judgment could leave the opposition with very limited time just three working days (May 6–8) before the INEC submission deadline on May 10, after the weekend.
Tanko described the situation as a calculated move by “anti-democratic and centrifugal forces” targeting former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi.
Following the verdict, Asemota Igiogbe, leader of the Edo State Obidient Movement, cautioned that fresh court rulings could trigger significant turbulence in the ADC.
He advised that any serious presidential aspirant must now align with a newer, cleaner party that has successfully conducted its congresses and convention to secure an undisputed ticket and build momentum before legal storms erupt.
Igiogbe likened the Supreme Court’s ruling to a “banana peel” seemingly clearing the path but potentially setting up future political and judicial slips.
He noted that the decision reopens the leadership dispute at the Federal High Court, reviving litigation the party had sought to avoid.
He recalled the Supreme Court’s earlier stance that internal party leadership matters should generally remain outside routine judicial interference.
Citing the Labour Party’s own leadership tussle involving Julius Abure’s tenure, Igiogbe stressed that once a national chairman’s constitutional term expires, the party must elect a new leader rather than rely on “judicial chairmen” imposed by court orders.
“The ADC is now a political cul-de-sac,” Igiogbe declared. “Any serious presidential aspirant must attach to a newer, cleaner party (one that would have done their congresses & convention perhaps), secure a clear ticket, and build momentum before the turbulence hits not after courts have turned the party into a constitutional and succession-battlefield.”
The ruling has heightened concerns within opposition circles, particularly among Obidient supporters exploring viable platforms for the 2027 presidential election.
While some factions within the ADC have welcomed aspects of the judgment, voices in the Obidient Movement see it as a warning sign to seek fresher political vehicles less entangled in protracted legal battles.
By
TheTimes Nigeria
