The African Democratic Congress (ADC) could contest the 2027 general elections without former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar appearing on its presidential ticket, Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo has declared, drawing a sharp distinction between the party’s electoral future and the legitimacy of candidates produced by its embattled leadership.
Keyamo made the clarification on Sunday in a post on his X account, dismissing concerns that the Federal High Court judgment nullifying the David Mark-led caretaker leadership could automatically shut the ADC out of the elections.
“For the education of the public, those raising false alarm that the court judgment on ADC means the Party will not be on the ballot are spreading MISINFORMATION,” he said.
“The ADC WILL BE ON THE BALLOT. It is the David Mark faction of candidates, including ATIKU ABUBAKAR that MAY NOT be on the ballot (depending on the final judgment of the Supreme Court),” the minister added.
His intervention exposes the central legal question confronting the opposition party: whether the survival of its registration and right to contest elections can be separated from the validity of the leadership structure that produced its candidates.
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The Federal High Court in Abuja, presided over by Justice Peter Lifu, on November 5 nullified the emergence of Mark and his caretaker executive. The court also invalidated decisions taken by the faction, including the process that produced Atiku as the ADC’s presidential candidate for 2027.
The ruling followed a suit filed by Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former Deputy National Chairman of the party, who challenged the process through which Mark assumed leadership after the departure of former National Chairman, Ralph Nwosu.
Keyamo has maintained that candidates who secured their tickets through the party’s original leadership structure should not lose their opportunity to contest because of the dispute involving the Mark-led faction.
He questioned whether such aspirants were less entitled to political participation than Mark, Atiku and their allies.
“Are those Nigerians who successfully won their Primaries under the faction of the original owners of the ADC lesser humans or lesser Nigerians than David Mark and Atiku Abubakar?” he asked.
However, the minister’s position does not settle the dispute. The ADC has rejected the judgment and filed an appeal at the Court of Appeal. It has also applied for a stay of execution, a request that could affect how the ruling is implemented while the legal challenge proceeds.
The party has notified the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of the appeal and asked the commission to suspend further action on the matter pending its determination. INEC had earlier indicated that it would study the certified true copy of the judgment before taking a position.
The distinction Keyamo has raised is significant. A political party’s eligibility to participate in an election is not necessarily the same as the validity of the process through which it selects candidates.
The ADC may retain its place in the electoral contest, but the authority to nominate candidates could depend on the outcome of the leadership case.
Keyamo also invoked previous Supreme Court decisions involving the APC in Zamfara and Bayelsa states. In 2019, the court invalidated APC candidates’ victories in Zamfara over irregularities in their party primaries.
In February 2020, it nullified David Lyon’s election as Bayelsa governor because his running mate was found to have submitted false information, paving the way for Douye Diri’s emergence.
The minister cited those cases to challenge what he described as selective respect for judicial decisions, insisting that politicians should not attack judges whenever a ruling goes against their interests.
Atiku, however, has rejected the prospect of exclusion, maintaining that nothing will prevent him from contesting the 2027 presidential election.
The legal battle now carries consequences beyond the ambitions of individual politicians. Its outcome could determine who controls the ADC, whose primaries are recognised and whether the opposition party can present the candidates selected under the Mark-led leadership.
Until the appellate courts settle those questions, Keyamo’s prediction remains a political position, not a final judicial determination.
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