By Achile Danjuma
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has issued a strongly worded warning to the federal government, demanding an immediate halt to what the party describes as covert attempts to interfere in the ongoing legal case involving Nafiu Bala Gombe.
In a statement signed by National Publicity Secretary Bolaji Abdullahi on Thursday, the opposition party alleged that desperate forces within the corridors of power are mounting pressure on Justice Nwite of the Federal High Court to recuse himself from the matter.
The party claims this alleged plot represents “a direct assault on the integrity of the judiciary” and a dangerous escalation in efforts to “weaponise state institutions against the opposition.”
According to the ADC, its legal team has obtained information indicating that despite the Certified True Copy of the Supreme Court judgment not yet being released or formally communicated to the trial court, the case has been curiously scheduled before Justice Nwite for May 8, 2026.
“This unusual haste,” the statement read, “is part of a calculated scheme to force Justice Nwite into recusing himself, thereby creating an opening for the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court to transfer the matter to judges allegedly considered more amenable to political influence.”
The party noted that this development runs contrary to directives from both the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court, which ordered an accelerated hearing by the substantive trial judge.
The ADC further warned that “judicial recusal is not a toy for political convenience” but “an extraordinary measure guided by law, facts, and established judicial principles.”
The party has called on the National Judicial Council, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, and the international community to intervene urgently, drawing parallels to what it called “the shameful roles played by certain reckless judicial actors” during the collapse of Nigeria’s First and Second Republics and the subversion of the June 12 mandate.
“The judiciary must remain the last hope of the common man,” the statement concluded, “and not the last refuge of desperate politicians terrified of justice.”
As of press time, the federal government and Justice Nwite’s chambers had not issued responses to the ADC’s allegations. The case is scheduled to resume on May 8.