•Atiku, Peter Obi, El-Rufai and Tinubu
The Interim National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), David Mark, has raised the alarm over alleged plans by the President Bola Tinubu administration to use the courts to derail the party’s rising momentum.
He issued the warning in Abuja during a visit by the ADC’s National Legal Support Group, led by Abdullahi Abdurrahman, just as over 300 lawyers volunteered to defend the party in ongoing and future legal cases across Nigeria.
However, ADC has called on Tinubu to explain his whereabouts five days after the conclusion of the 2025 BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, describing his unexplained absence as part of a “culture of abscondment” that has plagued his administration since 2024, reports The Guardian.
During the meeting, Abdurrahman disclosed that at least 310 lawyers volunteered to defend the party in all ongoing and future legal cases across Nigeria.
According to him, the legal team has representation in all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and is fully mobilised to tackle any legal challenge ADC may face.
The ADC legal team includes prominent legal figures such as the Legal Adviser, Peter Oyewole; former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN); and former Edo State Governor and legal scholar, Prof Oserheimen Osunbor.
“We are prepared to handle any case that may arise against ADC anywhere in the country,” Abdurrahman said. He added that the lawyers believe in the ability of the leadership to transform the party and make a meaningful contribution to national development.
Praising Mark’s integrity, Abdurrahman urged him to use his experience and statesmanship to guide the ADC to national prominence. He called on the party’s Legal Adviser to provide necessary documents and updates on legal matters to help the team work effectively.
In a statement signed by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC expressed concern over the President’s prolonged absence from the country without any official communication, despite mounting national challenges.
It noted that while other world leaders who attended the BRICS summit returned promptly to their home countries, briefed their citizens and resumed national duties, Tinubu did not return to Nigeria until yesterday, five days after the summit ended on Monday, July 7, with no explanation provided to the public.
“A whole five days is significant in the life of a nation,” the statement reads, “especially for a country like ours, grappling with widespread insecurity and a faltering economy. Tinubu was not on a private vacation; he was on official duty. Nigerians deserve to know why he delayed his return and where he has been.”
The ADC further alleged that this latest unexplained absence followed a troubling pattern of mysterious and unaccounted foreign trips by the president since assuming office.
It cited past instances, including a two-week “private visit” to France in January 2024 with no official updates or appearances; disappearance for nine days after attending the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Riyadh from April to May 2024, among many others.
It expressed worry that the ruling party defends or ignores such conduct, describing it as a clear contempt for the people and the democratic process.
The ADC urged Nigerians and the international community to hold the Tinubu administration to higher standards of transparency and governance, insisting that presidential accountability is non-negotiable in a functional democracy.
