Femi Falana, a lawyer and activist, says lawyers and judges, with their various litigation and judgments, are to blame for turning the country into a one-party state.

Mr Falana disclosed this on Thursday at the fifth Comrade Yinka Odumakin Memorial Lecture in Ikeja, Lagos.

Citing the decision by the Independent National Electoral Commission on Wednesday to derecognise the African Democratic Congress and its leadership, following a court judgment, Mr Falana said, “We’re in a dangerous terrain. Nigerian courts and senior lawyers have collided once again to abort the democratic process. Section 83, Sub-section 5 of the new Electoral Act 2026, banned courts from interfering in the management of political parties, because the Supreme Court held earlier that political parties should be managed by their members, not by the courts. When members of the political class refuse, it has now been put in the law that no court shall interfere, no interim or interlocutory injunction, whatever, can be granted.

“But yesterday, the Court of Appeal held that the situation in ADC led by David Mark…the court was very wrong because the law has said thou shall not interfere. As if that’s not enough, INEC, headed by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria issued a statement yesterday (Thursday) that based on the intervention of the court, ADC, we shall no longer recognise you. You know when a political party is not recognised, their members cannot contest election.”

Mr Falana added, “I say that INEC is wrong because the order granted by the court is an injunction status quo ante bellum. What that means is ‘before the dispute’. Who was in charge before that fellow went to court? It was David Mark. But that ruling has now been misinterpreted to favour the ruling party. When Nigerians say the Tinubu government, APC is trying to turn Nigeria into a one-party state, No. Our courts and senior lawyers are to blame.

Also speaking at the event, the convener of the Take It Back Movement, Omoyele Sowore, said, “I’ll repeat once again and end it there. These are revolutionary times. You should take advantage of it. I was the one who predicted, when Bola Tinubu came to power, that he is the one who is going to make revolution happen in Nigeria. Nigeria cannot escape a revolution.”

Mr Sowore added, “It is up to the Nigerian people to take charge of the moment and opportunity he has provided for the revolution. This man is on the highway, driving you to a revolution but you still haven’t gotten the message yet. But he will make it happen, because this country cannot escape a revolution at this time.