ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- Former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Timi Frank, has warned that any move to deregister the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and four other opposition parties could plunge Nigeria into a political crisis and threaten the country’s democratic foundations.
In a strongly worded statement issued on Tuesday, Frank described the reported court-ordered deregistration of the parties as a direct attack on Nigeria’s multi-party democracy, alleging that the development is part of a broader effort to weaken opposition forces ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He called on Donald Trump and the international community to urgently intervene in order to safeguard Nigeria’s democratic system.
According to Frank, reports indicated that the Court of Appeal, led by Justice Mohammed A. Danjuma, had previously directed Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court to suspend further proceedings in the matter pending the hearing and determination of an appeal scheduled for October 27, 2026.
However, Frank questioned the circumstances surrounding the delivery of the judgment, describing it as abrupt, suspicious and inconsistent with established judicial procedures.
“The judgment came suddenly without prior notice to the parties involved. From the information available to us, it appeared that the judgment had been prepared elsewhere and simply delivered by the court,” he alleged.
He further claimed that neither the parties involved nor their legal representatives received prior notification that the judgment was ready for delivery.
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“Nobody knew about it. There was no information and no briefing, even to the lawyers representing the parties. The judgment was given suddenly. It was something they plotted and cooked up to make it look legitimate without even notifying the parties involved,” Frank alleged.
Describing the ruling as a “mystery judgment,” Frank argued that it appeared designed to achieve a predetermined political objective, alleging that outside interests may have influenced both its preparation and delivery.
“It must be noted that any attempt by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and those working with him to deregister political parties, particularly major opposition parties such as the ADC, will give rise to a crisis that may be difficult to contain,” he said.
Frank maintained that the controversy goes beyond partisan politics and touches on fundamental constitutional rights and democratic freedoms.
He accused the current administration of consistently attempting to weaken opposition parties through actions intended to create internal divisions and destabilise their structures.
The former APC spokesman also expressed concern over what he described as increasing public doubts about judicial independence, alleging an unhealthy relationship between certain members of the executive arm and the judiciary.
“A government where a serving minister builds houses for judges, provides vehicles, allocates land and extends other benefits to members of the judiciary raises legitimate concerns. There is a growing perception that the judiciary has been captured by forces within government,” he alleged.
Frank also questioned what he described as the repeated involvement of a particular judge in politically sensitive cases.
He argued that many Nigerians see the ADC as a political platform with broad national appeal that cuts across ethnic, religious and regional lines.
“The ADC and its presidential candidate represent, in the eyes of many Nigerians, a national movement that cuts across ethnic, regional and religious divides. Any attempt to cripple such a platform for political reasons will fail,” he said.
The political activist further alleged that some interests were working to prevent certain contenders from fully participating in the next presidential election.
Warning against efforts to shrink Nigeria’s democratic space, Frank, who also serves as Ambassador to East Africa and the Middle East for the United Liberation Movement for West Papua, said any attempt to impose a one-party state could have grave consequences for national stability.
“Nigeria is a country of over 200 million people. Any desperate attempt to turn the country into a one-party state could trigger unrest and a crisis that nobody can control. The consequences for national unity and democratic governance would be severe,” he warned.
Frank called on democratic institutions, civil society organisations, religious leaders, youth groups and professional bodies to defend Nigeria’s democratic gains.
He also appealed to the Trump administration and other democratic governments to closely monitor political developments in the country.