ADC Alleges Plot to Pressure Judge Over Nafiu Bala’s Court Case

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused the federal government of allegedly attempting to interfere in an ongoing court case involving Nafiu Bala Gombe by mounting pressure on Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court to recuse himself from the matter.

In a statement issued on Wednesday by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC alleged that “desperate forces within the corridors of power” were plotting to frustrate the judicial process by influencing the reassignment of the case to judges perceived to be politically pliable.

The opposition party described the alleged move as a direct attack on the independence of the judiciary and warned against what it called the growing weaponisation of state institutions against opposition parties.

According to the ADC, information available to its legal team indicates that although the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the Supreme Court judgment had not yet been formally released to the trial court, the matter was nevertheless fixed for hearing before Justice Nwite on May 8, 2026.

The party claimed the speed with which the matter was scheduled raised suspicions of a coordinated effort aimed at compelling the judge to step aside, thereby paving the way for the case to be reassigned.

The ADC argued that such actions would contradict earlier directives from the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court, which reportedly ordered accelerated hearing of the matter before the substantive trial judge.

The party further maintained that judicial recusal must not be manipulated for political convenience, insisting that judges should not abandon their constitutional duties because of what it described as politically motivated petitions or pressure.

Calling for urgent intervention, the ADC appealed to the National Judicial Council (NJC), the Chief Justice of Nigeria, and members of the judiciary to resist any attempt to compromise the courts.

The party also urged the international community and diplomatic missions in Nigeria to closely monitor developments surrounding the case, warning that continued political interference in the judiciary could endanger Nigeria’s constitutional democracy.

Referencing Nigeria’s political history, the ADC cautioned against a repeat of past judicial controversies associated with the collapse of previous democratic dispensations and the annulment of the June 12 presidential election.

The party stressed that the judiciary must remain “the last hope of the common man” and not a tool in the hands of politicians seeking favourable outcomes.