ADC lawyer says court ruling does not affect Atiku’s 2027 presidential bid

A lawyer representing the African Democratic Congress, Kalu Kalu, has said former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar remains the party’s presidential candidate despite a Federal High Court judgment nullifying the leadership led by Senator David Mark.

Kalu argued that the November 5 judgment delivered by Justice Peter Lifu did not cancel Atiku’s nomination or those of other candidates produced under the Mark-led leadership.

Speaking on Channels Television on Thursday, he said public interpretations of the ruling had gone beyond the specific orders made by the court.

“There is no portion of that judgment that voids the candidacy of Atiku Abubakar and the other candidates of the party,” he said.

He added that the ruling did not expressly invalidate Atiku’s nomination for the presidential election scheduled for January 16, 2027.

“The judgment of Honourable Justice Peter O. Lifu does not in any way void the candidacy of Atiku Abubakar for the presidential election,” Kalu said.

The lawyer blamed the controversy on claims circulating on social media, insisting that Nigerians had attributed decisions to the court that were not contained in its orders.

“It’s just people, the social media we have in Nigeria, just imported what is not explicitly stated in that judgment,” he added.

The judgment followed a suit filed by Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former ADC Deputy National Chairman, challenging the emergence of the Mark-led leadership after the resignation of the party’s former National Chairman, Ralph Nwosu, and other executives in July 2025.

Gombe argued that the vacancies created by the resignations should have been filled through a democratic process in line with the party’s constitution and the Electoral Act.

In his ruling, Lifu nullified the emergence of Mark as National Chairman and former Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, as National Secretary.

The judge also declared all actions and decisions taken by Mark, Aregbesola and other members of the National Working Committee from July 29, 2025, null and void.

He restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission from recognising or dealing with the affected officials as national officers of the party. The court equally directed INEC not to recognise decisions taken at the ADC’s 99th National Executive Committee meeting of July 27, 2025, through which the leadership emerged.

Lifu held that the process did not meet the requirement for democratic elections under Section 82(3) of the Electoral Act 2022 and violated provisions of the party’s constitution and the 1999 Constitution.

The judge also rejected a resignation letter allegedly written by Gombe, which the Mark-led faction had relied on to justify his exclusion from the leadership structure. He said differences between the signature on the document and those on Gombe’s sworn statements made it unreliable.

Although the court recognised Gombe as the only elected member of the party’s National Working Committee whose four-year tenure remained valid, it declined to declare him the substantive National Chairman.

The ruling has created uncertainty over the party’s leadership and its participation in the 2027 elections. Atiku, who emerged as the ADC presidential candidate, has picked former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, as his running mate.

Atiku rejected the judgment and vowed to challenge it at the Court of Appeal, describing it as an attempt to weaken the opposition and frustrate his presidential ambition.

The ADC also faulted the ruling, with its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, describing it as politically motivated. The party warned that its implications extended to thousands of candidates nominated for elective positions.

The party has filed an appeal and an application for a stay of execution, urging INEC not to take any action that could prejudice the legal challenge.

INEC, meanwhile, said it would study the certified true copy of the judgment and obtain legal advice before deciding on its next steps.

The dispute also involves an earlier judgment delivered on July 2, 2026, by Justice Musa Liman of the same Federal High Court, which the Mark-led faction had relied on to defend its leadership. The ADC argued that the two rulings were conflicting and that a court of coordinate jurisdiction could not overturn the decision of another court of equal status.