Human rights lawyer and former Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Professor Chidi Anselm Odinkalu, has brought renewed attention to the circumstances surrounding the reassignment of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) leadership dispute from Justice Emeka Nwite to Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
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Odinkalu published a letter written by Nafiu Bala Gombe to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, requesting the transfer of his suit against the ADC and its leadership from Justice Nwite to another judge.
The disclosure has raised further questions because the David Mark-led ADC leadership also sought the removal of Justice Lifu after the case was transferred to him, alleging a lack of confidence in his impartiality and requesting that the matter be reassigned.
While Gombe’s request preceded the eventual transfer of the suit from Justice Nwite to Justice Lifu, the ADC’s subsequent efforts to have Justice Lifu removed were unsuccessful.
The development has attracted attention following Justice Lifu’s November 5, 2026, judgment declaring the David Mark-led ADC leadership unlawful and invalidating decisions taken under its authority, including the presidential primary that produced former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as the party’s candidate for the 2027 general elections.
Sharing the correspondence on his X account, Odinkalu wrote: “Meanwhile, this is Nafiu Bala Gombe’s letter that got the case transferred to Peter Lifu.”
Meanwhile, this is Nafiu Bala Gombe’s letter that got the case transferred to Peter Lifu. https://t.co/7iNsS3Hm6N
— Chidi Anselm Odinkalu, CGoF (@ChidiOdinkalu) November 7, 2026
The letter, bearing Gombe’s name and an address at Nassarawo Quarters, Gombe State, was addressed to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court of Nigeria in Abuja.
Dated April 4, 2026, it was titled “RE: REQUEST FOR REASSIGNMENT AND TRANSFER OF SUIT NO: FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025 BETWEEN HON. NAFIU BALA GOMBE V. AFRICAN DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS (ADC) & 4 ORS”.
In the correspondence, Gombe identified himself as the plaintiff and requested the reassignment of his case from Justice Emeka Nwite of Court 8, citing what he described as prolonged delays and repeated adjournments.
According to him, the matter had remained pending for several months without meaningful progress towards hearing or determination.
He maintained that the delays had caused hardship and adversely affected his confidence in obtaining timely justice.
Gombe stated that the request “has become imperative due to the prolonged and inordinate delay that has characterized proceedings in this matter before Honourable Justice Emeka Nwite of Court 8”.
He argued that his legal representatives had consistently demonstrated readiness to proceed, but the matter continued to suffer adjournments.
“Despite my counsel’s consistent diligence and readiness to proceed, the matter has been subjected to repeated adjournments without corresponding advancement,” he wrote.
According to him, the cumulative effect of the delays had caused substantial hardship and continuing prejudice because the legal questions affecting his rights remained unresolved.
Gombe also disclosed that the situation had affected his confidence in the proceedings before Justice Nwite.
“While I maintain the highest regard for the Honourable Court and the integrity of the learned trial Judge, the prevailing circumstances have regrettably led to a loss of confidence on my part and in the likelihood of obtaining timely and effective justice in the present court,” he stated.
He urged the Chief Judge to exercise his administrative authority to transfer the suit to another judge for an expeditious hearing.
“I most respectfully urge My Lord to exercise your administrative discretion to direct that this matter be reassigned to another Honourable Judge of this Court for expeditious hearing and determination,” Gombe wrote.
He maintained that the request was made in good faith and was not intended to question Justice Nwite’s competence or integrity.
“I humbly make this request in utmost good faith and solely in the interest of justice, without any intention whatsoever to impugn the character, competence, or integrity of the Honourable Court or the learned trial Judge,” he added.
The letter concluded with an appeal for the Chief Judge’s prompt intervention.
The copy published by Odinkalu carries a Federal High Court Chief Judge’s Chambers receiving stamp dated May 4, 2026, alongside handwritten markings indicating that the correspondence was processed on that date.
One marking records a time of 3:51 p.m., while another handwritten notation reads “1:58pm 4/5/26”.
A separate Federal High Court stamp dated May 4, 2026, also appears on the document in connection with a filing payment.
The markings show that although the letter was dated April 4, 2026, the copy circulated by Odinkalu bears court receipt stamps from May 4.
The correspondence does not specifically mention Justice Peter Lifu or request that the case be assigned to him.
Rather, Gombe sought the removal of the matter from Justice Nwite and its reassignment to another judge.
The issue came before Justice Nwite during proceedings on May 8, 2026, when Gombe’s counsel informed the court that his client had written to the Chief Judge seeking reassignment.
Lawyers representing the ADC, David Mark, Rauf Aregbesola and former National Chairman Ralph Nwosu opposed the request.
They complained that Gombe’s correspondence had not been served on them and described the attempt to transfer the matter as an ambush.
The defence lawyers also expressed concern that the request could frustrate the accelerated hearing of the dispute following proceedings before the Supreme Court.
They maintained confidence in Justice Nwite’s impartiality and questioned the justification for seeking another judge.
The case was subsequently reassigned to Justice Lifu, who fixed June 3, 2026, for proceedings.
However, contemporaneous reports also linked the reassignment to developments concerning Justice Nwite’s proposed elevation to the Court of Appeal.
The National Judicial Council had, at its meeting of May 13, 2026, recommended Justice Nwite among judicial officers for appointment to the Court of Appeal.
Consequently, although Gombe’s request preceded the transfer, the available reports do not conclusively establish that his letter was the sole administrative reason for assigning the matter to Justice Lifu.
The reassignment nevertheless generated another dispute, this time involving the David Mark-led ADC leadership and the judicial officer newly assigned to hear the case.
The party’s National Secretary, Rauf Aregbesola, wrote to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, challenging the circumstances surrounding the reassignment.
Aregbesola requested that the decision transferring the matter from Justice Nwite to Justice Lifu be reversed.
Alternatively, he urged the Chief Judge to assign the suit to another judicial officer outside a group of judges identified in his correspondence.
The judges named were Justice Peter Lifu, Justice James Omotosho and Justice Joyce Abdulmalik.
Aregbesola alleged that the circumstances surrounding the transfer created concerns about judicial independence and the possibility of litigants influencing the assignment of politically sensitive cases.
He questioned why the matter had been removed from Justice Nwite when, according to the ADC’s position, no substantiated finding of bias or misconduct had been made against the judge.
The ADC National Secretary also complained that the party and its lawyers had not received a satisfactory explanation of the administrative decision before learning that proceedings would continue before Justice Lifu.
According to the objection, allowing litigants to secure the repeated reassignment of cases until they obtained a preferred forum could undermine confidence in the administration of justice.
The correspondence described the situation as one that could encourage forum shopping and threaten judicial independence.
Aregbesola maintained that the ADC had lost confidence in Justice Lifu’s ability to determine the dispute impartially and asked that the case be transferred.
The allegations were, however, the position of the ADC leadership and did not establish that Justice Lifu or any of the other judges mentioned had engaged in improper conduct.
Beyond the correspondence to the Chief Judge, the ADC and Aregbesola subsequently filed separate applications asking Justice Lifu to withdraw from the suit.
At proceedings held on June 8, 2026, counsel to the ADC, Shaibu Aruwa, SAN, moved an application filed on June 2, seeking an order directing Justice Lifu to recuse himself and return the case file to the Chief Judge for reassignment.
Aregbesola’s counsel also moved a separate application seeking the judge’s withdrawal.
Gombe opposed the applications and urged the court to proceed with the case.
His lawyers maintained that the defendants had failed to establish sufficient grounds for disqualifying Justice Lifu from hearing the matter.
The controversy was further complicated by an application from ADC National Welfare Secretary Nkemakolam Ukandu, who also sought the judge’s withdrawal and raised concerns about the reassignment process.
Ukandu had separately pursued complaints involving the Chief Judge and Justice Lifu, alleging irregularities in the handling of the case.
Justice Lifu subsequently considered the applications brought by the ADC and Aregbesola.
On June 16, 2026, he dismissed their separate motions seeking his recusal, holding that the allegations of bias were unsupported by credible evidence.
The judge maintained that the applicants had not established circumstances warranting his withdrawal from the suit.
He also expressed concern that permitting litigants to secure a judge’s removal through unsupported allegations could encourage forum shopping and undermine judicial administration.
Justice Lifu held that the applications lacked merit and awarded costs of ₦500,000 each against the ADC and Aregbesola in favour of Gombe.
The ruling meant that the party’s efforts through those applications to have Justice Lifu withdraw were unsuccessful.
The case consequently remained before Justice Lifu, who continued handling the leadership dispute.
The sequence of events has drawn attention to the different outcomes of the requests made by the opposing parties.
Gombe first asked for the case to be moved from Justice Nwite, and the matter was subsequently transferred to Justice Lifu.
The Mark-led ADC leadership later challenged the reassignment and requested that Justice Lifu be removed, but the proceedings continued before him after the recusal applications were dismissed.
There is, however, an important distinction between the two processes.
Gombe addressed an administrative request to the Chief Judge seeking reassignment of the suit, while the ADC and Aregbesola challenged the subsequent transfer through correspondence and applications asking the presiding judge to recuse himself.
Although the ADC’s request to the Chief Judge did not produce another reassignment, the available material does not establish that Justice Tsoho issued a separate formal decision expressly rejecting Aregbesola’s letter.
What is established is that Justice Lifu dismissed the recusal applications on June 16 and retained conduct of the proceedings.
The distinction has become important following the judgment delivered on November 5, 2026, which invalidated the Mark-led ADC leadership and decisions taken under its authority.
The ruling affected the party’s presidential nomination and generated controversy over Atiku’s participation in the 2027 presidential election.
The ADC has rejected the decision and moved to challenge it through the appellate process.
Odinkalu’s publication of Gombe’s letter has consequently renewed attention to the history of the proceedings and the circumstances in which the matter was transferred between judicial officers.
The correspondence establishes that Gombe sought reassignment, citing delays, hardship and loss of confidence in the progress of the case.
The subsequent objections by the Mark-led ADC leadership show that the defendants also questioned the suitability of the judicial officer eventually assigned to determine the dispute.
However, neither the existence of Gombe’s request nor the objections subsequently raised by the ADC independently establishes wrongdoing in the reassignment process or bias on the part of Justice Lifu.
The available records instead show competing requests concerning judicial assignment, disagreement over the procedure adopted and judicial rulings on the applications seeking recusal.
The central questions arising from the controversy concern the administrative grounds for the reassignment, the treatment of objections from the opposing parties and the need for transparent procedures capable of sustaining public confidence in the judiciary.
For now, the sequence remains that Gombe requested the removal of Justice Nwite, the suit was subsequently transferred to Justice Lifu, and the Mark-led ADC’s efforts to have Justice Lifu withdraw were unsuccessful before he eventually delivered the judgment against the party’s leadership.
The renewed scrutiny comes as the ADC challenges the judgment and the legal consequences arising from the determination of its leadership dispute.
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