ADC Chieftain Ladan Salihu Decries Federal High Court Injunction as Strategic Distraction Ahead of Supreme Court Ruling

ADC chieftain Ladan Salihu criticizes a court order restraining INEC, calling it a strategic distraction ahead of a crucial Supreme Court verdict.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 30, 2026, 4:26 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from The Sun Nigeria.

Allegations of Judicial Ambush

Ladan Salihu, a prominent figure in the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has raised concerns over the timing of a Federal High Court ruling that restrains INEC from validating the party's recent congresses. In a television interview on Thursday, Salihu characterized the court’s intervention as a suspicious "ambush" designed to complicate the legal landscape just hours before the Supreme Court was set to deliver its own definitive judgment on the party’s leadership struggle. He argued that the emergence of this lower court order on the eve of an apex court decision was not coincidental but rather a calculated effort to railroad the judicial process.

Distraction from the Apex Court Proceedings

Salihu dismissed the High Court's findings as a "distraction" from the primary legal battle currently at the Supreme Court. According to the ADC chieftain, the most critical issue remains the final determination by the highest court in the land, which is expected to settle the protracted internal dispute once and for all. He maintained that the High Court's ruling added unnecessary tension and confusion to a situation that was already reaching its legal climax, potentially hindering the party's ability to focus on its 2027 electoral strategies.

Critique of Judicial Timing

The chieftain emphasized that the judgment was "totally unnecessary" given the advanced stage of the Supreme Court proceedings. He questioned why a lower court would issue such far reaching orders at a time when the apex court had already concluded its hearings and reserved judgment. Salihu’s remarks reflect a broader concern within his faction that the legal system is being used as a theater for political maneuvers intended to delegitimize the party's internal democratic processes.