By Luminous Jannamike

ABUJA — The African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council (ADC-PCC) has challenged the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, to explain why he transferred a case from Justice Emeka Nwite to Justice Peter Lifu barely 24 hours after receiving the party’s formal protest against the reassignment.

The campaign council said the sequence of events raised serious questions about the handling of the case, particularly as Justice Nwite had already commenced hearing it and had neither recused himself nor ceased to be a serving judge.

It demanded the immediate release of the full judgment, saying the failure to provide an official copy was obstructing the party’s right to challenge the decision at the Court of Appeal.

In a statement by its Director of Strategic Communications, Phrank Shaibu, on November 10, the ADC-PCC said its lawyers had submitted the legal questions to the appellate court but insisted that Nigerians deserved to know how the case was transferred to Justice Lifu despite the party’s formal objection.

The campaign council disclosed that the plaintiff had sought the transfer from Justice Nwite, citing delays and loss of confidence in obtaining a timely hearing.

However, it said its counsel, in a response dated May 11, 2026, challenged the plaintiff’s account of the adjournments, outlined the circumstances surrounding the delays and described the application as an attempt at forum shopping.

On June 2, the ADC National Secretary, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, also wrote to Justice Tsoho, asking him to reverse the reassignment and formally protesting the transfer on grounds of the party’s lack of confidence in Justice Lifu’s impartiality.

The following day, the case was assigned to Justice Lifu.

Questioning the decision, Shaibu said: “Justice Tsoho received our protest. Why did he proceed with the transfer? What did he find in the plaintiff’s allegation of delay that outweighed the court record and our protest? Let him publish his reasons. Let Nigerians read them beside the letters.”

The campaign council said the Chief Judge owed Nigerians an explanation for disregarding the protest, insisting that the circumstances surrounding the transfer had created an appearance of possible bias.

It also cited Justice Lifu’s earlier decision in a separate suit, in which he ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the ADC and four other political parties despite an existing Court of Appeal order staying proceedings.

According to the ADC-PCC, the appellate court subsequently nullified the deregistration judgment, describing Justice Lifu’s decision to proceed with the matter as the ‘highest form of judicial impertinence’ and invoking Supreme Court authority on ‘judicial rascality’.

The council further cited a certified judgment delivered by Justice Musa Liman, who dismissed a challenge to the ADC leadership for lack of merit and locus standi.

It said Justice Liman had held that the internal party dispute was non-justiciable, declared the leadership handover lawful and affirmed INEC’s entitlement to recognise the party’s National Chairman and National Secretary.

The ADC-PCC maintained that the judgment raised important legal questions about the subsequent proceedings before Justice Lifu, which its lawyers had placed before the Court of Appeal.

The campaign council also called on the National Judicial Council (NJC) to investigate the reassignment, the formal protest submitted to the Chief Judge and Justice Lifu’s handling of the earlier deregistration case.

Invoking Nigeria’s political history, it warned judicial officers against decisions capable of deepening political crises, recalling the controversies surrounding the judiciary before the collapse of the First and Second Republics.

Turning its attention to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), the ADC-PCC challenged the party to confront its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, on the political field rather than resort to alleged judicial manoeuvres.

“The hallowed chambers of our courts must not be turned into arenas for political combat. Nigerians must see those who would rather fight their opponent through court manoeuvres than meet him at the ballot box.

“Atiku remains our candidate. The law is on his side, not sentiment. We will defend that position before the Court of Appeal and keep the record before Nigerians. Their right to choose their president must never become a bargaining chip in anyone’s struggle for power,” Shaibu added.

ADC-PCC to Tsoho: Explain why you transferred our case to Lifu

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