The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, SAN, has welcomed the court ruling that nullified former Vice President Atiku Abubakar's presidential candidacy.
The ruling, delivered by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, also sacked the Senator David Mark-led leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Reacting, Keyamo expressed delight at the ruling, saying, "Justice may be slow, but it is always SURE!"
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He added, "You cannot invade a political Party owned and built by Nigerians, hijack it with the connivance of a so-called National Chairman without a PRIOR meeting and approval of a mini National Convention or the National Executive Committee and hope to bluff your way out of such a brazen act by blaming and blackmailing the ruling Party for a misfortune deliberately stocked by you.
"Sorry, but the law is decided on facts and evidence, rather than sentiments and outrage by a group of people. It is not only when a certain ATIKU ABUBAKAR contest the Presidency that democracy is not in danger. The ADC as a Party is well and alive and populated by people and original leaders who are NO LESS Nigerians than a David Mark and his illegal band of marauders."
Reacting to the ruling, the ADC maintained that the judgment is legally indefensible and would be challenged through every available judicial process.
It said the timing, barely 24 hours after the massive turnout at the ADC presidential campaign rally in Sokoto, exposes what it considers the ruling All Progressives Congress's (APC) growing desperation.
“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.
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 said.
The ADC warned the APC against setting Nigeria on fire by its dangerous attempt to eliminate political competition through judicial controversies.
“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. This is not the time to play silly games with the stability of this country," it said.
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