President of Anap Foundation and founder of Stanbic IBTC Bank, Atedo Peterside, has criticised recent Supreme Court rulings on the leadership crisis within the African Democratic Congress (ADC), saying they raise serious concerns about fairness and consistency in Nigeria’s judiciary.
Speaking in an interview with ARISE News on Friday, Peterside argued that access to justice in the country is uneven and often influenced by privilege.
He alleged that while some individuals receive swift court attention, ordinary Nigerians face prolonged delays.
“I heard about this Supreme Court ruling, but with all due respect, I don’t trust our judiciary.
“All I can tell you is that only some Nigerians get prompt hearing from our judiciary.
”The rest of us you’d be lucky to get a hearing in even six months,” he said insisting that justice delivery is largely dependent on influence.
Peterside said the legal attention surrounding the ADC has unexpectedly increased the party’s public profile and sympathy.
According to him, Nigerians often respond emotionally to perceived political pressure on opposition groups.
“When they see an INEC or federal government agencies appearing to bully one of the opposition parties, it increases their sympathy for that opposition party,” he said.
He added that the party would have struggled for visibility if left alone, but legal disputes have instead drawn public attention to it.
The business leader also commented on Nigeria’s opposition landscape, saying the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has weakened following the exit of key figures such as Atiku Abubakar and David Mark.
He argued that political alignments are shifting, with ADC emerging as a major opposition platform.
“As soon as the major presidential candidates from the last election… joined one party, that party became the major opposition party.
“Forget about what the court says, PDP is no longer the PDP of the past… whatever PDP had has probably transmuted into ADC, ” he said.
Peterside further described the 2027 presidential race as likely becoming a contest between the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the ADC.
“If I were a betting man, I would say it’s a two-horse race between APC and ADC,” he said.
He cautioned that Nigeria’s democracy could be threatened if electoral competition is weakened or perceived as unfair.
According to him, restricting opposition participation could destabilise the political system.
“If this government and INEC make the mistake of going into a general election with only one major party, all bets are off in terms of stability,” he warned.
He referenced past political transitions, noting that democratic systems require credible competition to remain stable.
Peterside also spoke on global oil price fluctuations, saying Nigeria may not benefit significantly due to pre-sale arrangements of crude oil.
He noted that rising global prices have instead increased domestic costs, particularly aviation fuel, diesel, and petrol.
He described aviation fuel as highly vulnerable to price spikes due to limited suppliers and market structure.
Economic Warning and Fiscal Pressure
On Nigeria’s economy, Peterside warned of deep fiscal imbalance, projecting a possible budget deficit if spending is not controlled.
He argued that government revenue constraints, rising poverty, and income inequality remain major concerns.
“There’s a serious crisis there, the number of people being thrown into poverty is increasing all the time,” he said.
He criticised what he described as wasteful government spending and called for austerity measures from top officials.
“Let those at the top live by example… stop all this wastage,” he urged.
He urged government leaders to demonstrate restraint in public spending and align policies with the economic realities faced by citizens, warning that failure to do so could deepen hardship and inequality across the country.
