Peter Obi Reacts To Court Judgment Voiding Atiku’s Candidacy

The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has expressed deep concern following the Federal High Court judgment that nullified the emergence of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections.

Reacting to the verdict delivered by Justice Peter Lifu in Abuja, Obi warned via a statement on his official X account that destabilizing major opposition party structures weeks before a general election creates dangerous political uncertainty for voters.

The court ruling dissolved the Senator David Mark-led leadership of the ADC and set aside all executive decisions made by the committee, including the nomination of Atiku and former Interior Minister Rauf Aregbesola as National Secretary, alongside all other 2027 legislative and executive candidates fielded by the party.

Obi, who previously ran in the 2023 presidential election under the Labour Party banner, described the judicial outcome as shocking and troubling for the nation’s democratic health.

“I have received with shock the news of an order by the Federal High Court in Abuja nullifying the emergence of the Chairman of the African Democratic Congress and all the actions he has taken. This is unsettling and surprising,” Obi stated.

“I do not challenge the ruling of the court. The court of law is constituted to determine disputes according to the law. My concern is that three months before a general election, it is in the public interest to have certainty. It is not good to have too many uncertainties about candidates and parties a few weeks before a presidential election,” he emphasized.

The former Anambra State governor argued that electoral outcomes should be decided by citizens at the polls rather than through judicial declarations, alleging that political sabotage against opposition platforms is being orchestrated to shrink the civic space.

“One mark of democracy is that at all times, it is voters and not courts that choose leaders. I trust in the judiciary. As a public officer, I have shown deep respect for the judiciary,” Obi noted.

Drawings parallels to recent political instability across West Africa, Obi cautioned against eroding democratic institutions and attempting to extinguish viable opposition parties ahead of major elections.

“The sustenance of democracy in Nigeria, in the midst of encroaching military rule in West Africa, should strengthen our resolve to protect opposition politics and not stamp out opposition parties,” he declared, adding that if elected president, he would safeguard opposition party stability and ensure political candidates are not driven out of electoral contests.

The legal disruption comes during a high-stakes realigning period ahead of the 2027 polls. Obi and Atiku had both joined the broader ADC coalition framework in 2025 to mount a unified challenge against President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid.

However, Obi and former Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso departed the ADC in May 2026 over internal party friction to join the NDC, where Obi eventually emerged as presidential candidate with Kwankwaso as his running mate.

Atiku, who secured the ADC presidential nomination in May 2026, now faces the complete voiding of his candidate status after Justice Lifu ruled in favor of former ADC Deputy National Chairman (North-East) Nafiu Bala Gombe, holding that the David Mark caretaker committee was constituted in violation of the ADC constitution, the Electoral Act, and the 1999 Constitution.

Both Atiku Abubakar and the national executive of the ADC have formally announced plans to appeal the Federal High Court verdict at the Court of Appeal.