The presidential candidate of the Action Alliance (AA), Faduri Oluwadare Joseph, popularly known as Fadojoe, has warned that Nigeria’s democracy is under threat.
He made this known in a statement on Friday following a Federal High Court judgment nullifying the leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) under former Senate President David Mark and invalidating the presidential nomination of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar ahead of the January 2027 general elections.
Fadojoe expressed concern over the development, warning that the judiciary must not become an instrument for undermining democratic participation and the people’s right to choose their leaders.
Describing the judgment as troubling, the AA presidential candidate said its timing, barely two and a half months before the 2027 general elections, had raised serious questions about judicial independence, political competition and the future of Nigeria’s democracy.
He declared that the issue went beyond party affiliation, insisting that every Nigerian politician and opposition candidate had a stake in protecting democratic freedoms.
“Let me state unequivocally that I am not speaking today because I belong to the ADC. I am the presidential candidate of the Action Alliance (AA). I am speaking because an injustice against democratic participation anywhere is a threat to democratic participation everywhere,” he said.
According to him, the development could set a dangerous precedent for opposition politics in the country, warning that today’s affected candidates could be replaced by other opposition figures tomorrow.
“Today, it is Atiku Abubakar and the ADC. Tomorrow, it could be Peter Obi, myself or any other opposition candidate,” Fadojoe warned.
He further argued that democracy would lose its essence if opposition parties were unable to challenge the ruling party freely and present alternative choices to Nigerians.
“A democracy that survives only when the ruling party has no serious challenger is not a democracy worth celebrating,” he stated.
Addressing the role of the judiciary in Nigeria’s democratic process, Fadojoe acknowledged the importance of the courts in upholding the Constitution and ensuring that political actors operate within the law.
However, he cautioned against a situation in which prolonged litigation and internal political disputes prevent voters from exercising their democratic rights.
“Why has Nigeria become a country where political parties spend more time defending their existence in courtrooms than presenting solutions to the Nigerian people?” he queried.
He also questioned why elections were increasingly becoming entangled in prolonged litigation, factional disputes and last-minute judicial pronouncements.
The AA presidential candidate maintained that although no political party or candidate should be above the law, judicial decisions must take into account their broader implications for democratic participation.
“The courtroom must never become a substitute for the ballot box,” he declared.
He added: “How tragic would it be if a man who once stood against military dictatorship presided over a democracy in which political opposition is gradually suffocated?”
Fadojoe insisted that the democratic freedoms President Bola Tinubu and other pro-democracy activists fought for during the struggle against military dictatorship must be protected for all Nigerians, including those opposed to his administration.
“The democratic freedoms you once demanded must also be extended to those who oppose your government today,” he said.
He maintained that the survival of Nigeria’s democracy depended on protecting political plurality, strengthening democratic institutions and ensuring that voters, rather than institutional controversies, ultimately determine the country’s political leadership.
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