ADC Reacts To Court Judgment Voiding Atiku’s Candidacy

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has rejected the judgment delivered by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which sacked the Senator David Mark-led leadership and invalidated the presidential nomination of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar for the 2027 general elections.

In an official statement released on Thursday, signed by National Publicity Secretary Bolaji Abdullahi, the opposition party described the verdict as a desperate attempt by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to cripple political opposition and deny Nigerians their right to choose leaders.

The ADC linked the timing of the judgment directly to the turnout recorded during its campaign flag-off rally in Sokoto State on November 4, alleging that the massive turnout panicked the ruling party.

“We have reasons to believe that the judgment had long been written on this case. The Sokoto rally was simply a trigger that stampeded its delivery,” the statement read.

“Yesterday, Nigerians came out in their hundreds of thousands to demonstrate their support for the ADC and our promise of making life affordable for them. Today, they are being told that the party that they support and the candidates that they have supported at all levels could be erased by the stroke of a reckless judicial pen,” the party added.

The party warned against the far-reaching political consequences of nullifying the executive leadership, noting that the order potentially impacts thousands of candidates contesting elective positions under the ADC banner across municipal, state, and federal levels.

“Do these people understand what they are playing with? This is not about Atiku Abubakar or David Mark. It is about the democratic rights of Nigerians to freely choose their own leaders. It is about the rights of thousands of candidates to participate in a democratic process,” the party asserted.

Describing the ruling as legally indefensible, the ADC insisted that it would challenge the decision across appellate channels, pointing out that an earlier subsisting judgment of coordinate jurisdiction had already validated the David Mark-led NWC.

“Our objection is particularly anchored on the subsisting judgment of Justice Musa Liman of the same Federal High Court, delivered on 2 July 2026 in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1637/2025, which affirmed the legitimacy of the David Mark-led NWC and directed INEC to recognise the leadership. It is a settled principle of Nigerian jurisprudence that a court of coordinate jurisdiction cannot sit on appeal over, review, vary or nullify the subsisting judgment of another court of equal jurisdiction,” the ADC stated.

The party added that while it awaits the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the ruling to determine its scope, it firmly rejects any consequential orders arising from a violation of established legal precedents.

Warning against political brinkmanship, the ADC cautioned the ruling party against provoking public unrest ahead of the general elections.

“We warn the APC: do not play with fires you cannot control. The peace and stability of Nigeria are bigger than the ambition of any president or political party. Nobody should be so desperate to retain power that they are prepared to put the entire country at risk,” the statement warned.

“Nigeria belongs to Nigerians, not to the APC. The presidency is not an inheritance. If the President thinks he has performed well in office, why is he afraid of competition? If the APC thinks that its policies and candidates are popular, why don’t they subject themselves to free and fair elections?” the party asked.

The ADC urged the judiciary to remain an impartial umpire and protect democratic norms rather than enabling single-party dominance.

Finally, the party appealed to its supporters and candidates nationwide to maintain peace and remain law-abiding while its legal team exhausts all appellate mechanisms to set aside the judgment.

The Federal High Court in Abuja had earlier sustained a suit filed by former ADC Deputy National Chairman (North-East) Nafiu Bala Gombe, declaring the David Mark-led caretaker committee unconstitutional and nullifying all candidate nominations submitted by the leadership, including Atiku Abubakar—who had previously unveiled former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi as his vice-presidential running mate.