The Zamfara State chapter of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has insisted that a Federal High Court judgment delivered on April 29, 2026, remains valid and must be obeyed until a higher court decides otherwise.

In a statement issued in Gusau by the party’s Publicity Secretary, Abdulkareem Umar, the ADC dismissed claims questioning the ruling and the party’s leadership in the state.

The party said Senator David Mark had appealed the judgment and also applied for a stay of execution. However, it said the application for a stay was not granted, while the Court of Appeal had already fixed a date to hear the appeal.

Quoting the statement, the party said: “The Federal High Court judgment remains valid, subsisting and binding on all parties unless and until it is set aside by a competent appellate court. No individual, group or political interest can lawfully vacate, nullify or disregard the judgment except through the legally recognised appeal process. Court orders must be obeyed while they remain in force.”

The ADC explained that, under Nigerian law, filing an appeal is different from applying for a stay of execution. It also warned that filing multiple appeals over the same judgment could amount to an abuse of court process.

On the leadership dispute, the party said a valid state congress was held in line with its constitution, leading to the election of Alhaji Kabiru Garba Gusau and other members of the State Executive Committee.

It said the current executive would serve until April 12, 2031.

The statement added that the executive’s authority came from a properly conducted congress and not from a caretaker committee.

The Nigerian Democratic Congress, NDC, presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has declared that the 2027 election is between Nigerians and President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

Obi made the remark while reiterating that he won the 2023 presidential election but it was rigged.

In an online viral video, the former Anambra State governor insisted that leadership is missing in Nigeria.

He said: “You know that I won that election and it was rigged but that is not a problem. It’s my believe that the next election is between Nigerians and the government in office because the public has had enough and they are determined that things have to change.

“We have sacrificed everything and it’s not working. It’s time to understand that one thing is missing, which is leadership.

“Nigerians will decide, so they will be the ones to say what is happening and I believe that they have learnt their lessons and they will find a way.

“For me, the desperation is to see Nigeria work. I’m not desperate to be president but I want to create a society where the children of Nigerians will have hope, where a child of a nobody can be anybody without anything. So for me, it’s important and we must make it work because we have had enough.”

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Lagos State Deputy Governor and All Progressives Congress, APC, 2027 governorship candidate, Obafemi Hamzat, has said he has never met or talked to his running mate, Damilola Sonayon-James, before the party chose her for the role.

Hamzat shared this revelation during the public showing of “Who Is She?” At the Syrian Club Event Centre in Ikoyi area of the state.

He said that the choice of his deputy governorship candidate was made after discussions within the Lagos APC, following President Bola Tinubu’s request for the state chapter to select the candidate.

Hazmat said he suggested that the running mate should be a young woman, and the President agreed with that idea.

According to Hamzat, the president called and suggested that the matter be resolved.

He said: “The president called me and said, ‘You guys go and sort it out.’ I said, ‘Sir, I think it should be a female.’ He said, ‘It’s okay.’ I said, ‘It should be young.’ He said, ‘It’s okay.”

The APC governorship candidate said the party also took into account the state’s zoning plan when making their decision.

He said since he hails from Lagos East and Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu is from Lagos Central, people expected the deputy governor position to go to Lagos West.

Hamzat said he didn’t have a personal connection with Sonayon-James before she became the party’s deputy governorship candidate.

“Until Damilola was chosen, I didn’t know her phone number. I got her phone number from somebody,” he said.

He said that Sonayon-James, who is the deputy woman leader of the Lagos APC and comes from Badagry, was picked based on her abilities.