Lucky Obukohwo, Reporting
ABUJA, NIGERIA – The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has selected a team of 97 lawyers to slug it out with the All Progressives Congress’s (APC) in what it described as ‘false lawsuit’ against the interim leadership, which includes former Senate President David Mark and former Minister Rauf Aregbesola.
The legal team, spare-headed by Barrister Mohammed Sheriff, made this known in Abuja, accusing the ruling APC of filing a suit using the names of individuals who are not members of the ADC.
This comes after a stakeholders meeting in Abuja between Senator Mark, the ADC’s Interim National Chairman, and the party’s Kogi State branch.
At the meeting, Mark promised Nigerians that under his leadership, the ADC would operate with total transparency and would not favour any presidential aspirant.
“I don’t own this party more than any other member… All Nigerians must come together and take ownership of the ADC,” he said.
He further tasked party faithful to set aside their differences and focus on building a united political force, warning that Nigeria’s democracy could fail if citizens remained passive.
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He also criticised the APC, saying theruling party should focus on fixing its own policy failures rather than targeting individuals.
“If they admitted that insecurity was bad and promised to improve it but instead made it worse, should Nigerians continue to support them? The answer is no,” he said.
The ADC claimed that the APC falsified identities in their lawsuit against the party’s interim leadership.
According to the ADC, investigations showed that the supposed plaintiffs in the suit were not registered members of the party in either Kogi or Nasarawa State.
“It smacks of desperation that a party entrusted with leading 200 million Nigerians would engage in such dishonesty,” the party said.
Mark used the occasion to call for national unity and encouraged Nigerians to support the ADC’s vision of a reformed and people-centred democracy.
“Let us work together to rebuild this nation for future generations,” he urged.
Barrister Sheriff, head of the ADC’s national legal support team, confirmed that 97 lawyers have already made themselves available to take up the case.