Former Rivers State Governor and African Democratic Congress (ADC) vice-presidential candidate, Rotimi Amaechi, has drawn parallels between the ongoing legal dispute over the party’s presidential candidacy and the events surrounding the annulment of Nigeria’s June 12, 1993 presidential election.
Amaechi expressed concern that judicial interventions could undermine opposition parties whenever they make significant political progress, warning against a recurrence of the circumstances that followed the annulment of the election won by the late Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (MKO) Abiola.
He made the remarks on Tuesday during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, while reacting to a Federal High Court judgment that voided the emergence of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar as the ADC presidential candidate for the 2027 general election.
Drawing a comparison with the 1993 political crisis, Amaechi alleged that opposition political movements in Nigeria have repeatedly faced judicial obstacles when gaining momentum.
“One thing that one should be careful about is that every time you have the opposition making any progress in Nigerian politics, there’s always somebody in the judiciary who would want to know the order.
“It happened to Abiola, which led to the death of Abiola. It’s happening again. None of them cares to know that the interest of the country is important,” he said.
The June 12, 1993 presidential election, widely regarded as one of Nigeria’s freest and fairest elections, was won by Abiola, who contested under the Social Democratic Party (SDP). However, the military administration of former Head of State, General Ibrahim Babangida, annulled the election on June 23, 1993, triggering widespread protests and a prolonged pro-democracy struggle.
Abiola subsequently declared himself president and was arrested and detained by the military government of General Sani Abacha in 1994. He died in detention on July 7, 1998, shortly after Abacha’s death, without being sworn in as president.
Amaechi, however, clarified that the ADC was not opposed to judicial intervention or the administration of justice, insisting that court proceedings must be conducted impartially and without political influence.
“We’re not saying don’t do justice. But we’re saying in doing justice, make sure that it’s justice. Don’t pretend to be a member of the other party,” he added.
The former governor disclosed that the party would challenge the Federal High Court judgment at the Court of Appeal, expressing confidence that the appellate court would review the decision and deliver what he described as justice.
“We’re going on appeal. We think the Court of Appeal, like all judges of the court of first instance, would naturally tell you that the reason why they are allowed to make mistakes is that there is always a superior court above them.
“Whether Lifu is right or wrong, we’ll know when we go to the Court of Appeal,” he said.
He also appealed to ADC supporters to remain calm and continue their political activities while the legal process unfolds.
According to him, the party has encouraged its supporters to sustain their campaign activities rather than allow the court ruling to disrupt their political engagement.
Amaechi further questioned the handling of the case by the party’s legal representatives, arguing that the trial court should have first determined whether it had jurisdiction to entertain the matter before proceeding to other substantive issues.
“The issue before Lifu was the issue of jurisdiction. I don’t know why they proceeded with that. Jurisdiction is the live wire of every case,” he said.
He also questioned why the party’s lawyers did not challenge the procedure adopted by the presiding judge, maintaining that jurisdiction remains a fundamental issue that must be resolved before a court can validly determine the merits of a case.
The ADC is expected to pursue its appeal as the legal dispute over its 2027 presidential candidacy continues.
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