By Okoi Obono-Obla
Disobedience and Its Price: From Zamfara to Plateau, Now ADC:
When you deliberately disobey a court, then when you burn your fingers, do not complain. That was how the All Progressives Congress (APC) lost Zamfara in 2019, despite sweeping the governorship and every seat in the State and National Assemblies. The same fate befell the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Plateau in 2023, when it lost all the seats it had won due to flagrant disobedience of a court order. Now, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) stands at the edge of the same precipice. All the bravado will hurt it, and when the inevitable happens, it should gnash its teeth alone.
Zamfara (2019): Victory Wasted:
On 24 May 2019, the Supreme Court struck down APC’s triumph in Zamfara. The Court declared:
“Since the APC did not conduct valid primaries in Zamfara State, it had no candidates in the 2019 general elections. Consequently, all votes cast for the APC are wasted votes.”
Thirty‑six elective positions — governorship, National Assembly, and State Assembly — evaporated overnight, handed to PDP candidates who were runners‑up. A sweeping victory turned to ashes.
Plateau (2023): Structure Matters:
In Plateau, the Court of Appeal sitting in Jos on 7 November 2023 sacked 23 PDP lawmakers and later nullified Governor Caleb Muftwang’s election on 19 November 2023. The panel held:
“A political party that fails to comply with the constitutional requirements of internal democracy cannot validly sponsor candidates for election.”
Though the Supreme Court later restored Muftwang in January 2024, the broader lesson remained: disobedience to judicial directives can erase electoral victories overnight.
ADC and Senator David Mark’s Defiance:
Now, ADC faces its own test. Senator David Mark’s faction has openly boasted it will not obey INEC’s directive that both factions must suspend separate conventions or congresses. That directive was anchored on the Court of Appeal’s ruling in the case filed by Nafiu Bala Gombe at the Federal High Court, Abuja.
Gombe’s motion sought to restrain Senator Mark from parading himself as ADC’s National Chairman until the substantive case is heard, and to prevent placing the court in a situation of fait accompli or rendering its proceedings nugatory. Several other motions were filed, seeking injunctions against Senator Mark and INEC from recognising his faction.
If a defendant, served with a motion for injunction, goes ahead to steal a march on the applicant or the court, the court has inherent jurisdiction to invoke its penal powers and reverse the steps taken. This principle was laid down in Ojukwu v. Governor of Lagos State (1986), where the Supreme Court thundered:
“The rule of law presupposes that the state is subject to the law. Disobedience of court orders strikes at the foundation of the rule of law. No party should take the law into its own hands and present the court with a fait accompli.” The Unmistakable Lesson:
Court orders are binding: Ignore them, and victory collapses.
Votes can be wasted: As in Zamfara, where APC’s landslide was nullified.
Party structure is decisive: As in Plateau, where PDP’s internal irregularities led to mass disqualification
ADC must beware: Senator Mark’s defiance risks repeating history.
The Ojukwu principle applies: Courts will not tolerate parties stealing a march; they will reverse unlawful steps.
In summary: Electoral triumphs mean nothing if they rest on disobedience to the law. Zamfara, Plateau, and Ojukwu are stark reminders: bravado in defiance of judicial authority is a sure path to ashes. ADC should take heed before it learns the hard way.
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