ADC accuses Tsoho of bias over transfer of party’s suit to Lifu

The African Democratic Congress, ADC, Presidential Campaign Council has accused the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, of bias over the reassignment of a suit involving the party from Justice Emeka Nwite to Justice Peter Lifu.

The campaign council alleged that the reassignment, which took place a day after the party formally protested the proposed transfer, raised questions about the impartiality of the process and the circumstances surrounding the eventual judgment delivered by Justice Lifu.

It also accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of using judicial processes to undermine its political opponents, urging President Bola Tinubu to confront former Vice President Atiku Abubakar on the political battlefield rather than allegedly relying on courtroom manoeuvres.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Director of Strategic Communications of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Phrank Shaibu, said the party was concerned that Justice Nwite, who had already commenced hearing the case, was prevented from concluding it.

Shaibu said the party had formally protested the reassignment to Justice Tsoho but the Chief Judge proceeded to transfer the case to Justice Lifu the following day.

He said the party’s lawyers had taken the legal questions arising from the matter before the Court of Appeal, adding that the ADC was also presenting documents relating to the reassignment to Nigerians to explain its objections.

The campaign council further demanded the immediate release of the certified true copy of the full judgment, including the reasons for the decision, to enable the party to pursue appropriate legal remedies.

According to Shaibu, withholding the judgment was obstructing the party’s right to challenge the decision and depriving the appellate court of a complete record of proceedings.

“The ADC must be given the official copy and the reasons for the decision so that we can proceed with the appropriate legal action,” he said.

Recounting the circumstances that led to the reassignment, Shaibu said the plaintiff had requested that the case be removed from Justice Nwite’s court, citing delays and a loss of confidence in obtaining a timely hearing.

He, however, maintained that Justice Nwite had not recused himself and remained a serving judge with the case already before him.

The ADC spokesman said the party’s counsel responded to the plaintiff’s request on May 11, 2026, outlining previous adjournments and disputing the claim that the delays were attributable to the court.

He said the party also argued that the request amounted to forum shopping, warning against allowing litigants to influence the assignment of cases through allegations of delay.

Shaibu added that on June 2, 2026, the ADC National Secretary, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, wrote to Justice Tsoho, requesting that the reassignment be reversed.

According to him, the letter expressly conveyed the party’s lack of confidence in Justice Lifu’s impartiality and formally protested the proposed transfer.

However, he said the case was assigned to Justice Lifu on June 3, a development he described as troubling.

“Justice Tsoho received our protest. Why did he proceed with the transfer? What did he find in the plaintiff’s allegation of delay that outweighed the court record and our protest? Let him publish his reasons,” he said.

The campaign council argued that the sequence of events created an appearance that the reassignment was not handled with the impartiality required in a politically sensitive case.

It urged Justice Tsoho to publicly explain why the party’s formal objection was disregarded and why the transfer was effected immediately after the protest.

The ADC also questioned Justice Lifu’s handling of an earlier suit involving the party, recalling that the judge had ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the ADC and four other political parties despite an existing Court of Appeal order staying proceedings.