The 2027 presidential ambition of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has been thrown into uncertainty following a Federal High Court judgment in Abuja nullifying the leadership structure of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) under former Senate President David Mark.
The judgment, delivered on Thursday by Justice Peter Lifu, declared the Mark-led caretaker committee illegal and invalidated actions taken by the leadership, including the process that produced Atiku as the party’s presidential candidate.
The ruling followed a suit instituted by Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former National Deputy Chairman of the ADC for the North-East, who challenged the process through which Mark and other party leaders assumed their positions.
Gombe had argued that following the resignation of the party’s former National Chairman, Ralph Nwosu, he was entitled to assume the leadership position in accordance with the party’s constitution.
He consequently approached the court to challenge the emergence of Mark as National Chairman and Rauf Aregbesola as National Secretary, seeking the nullification of decisions taken by the leadership.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025, also had the ADC, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mark, Aregbesola and Nwosu listed as defendants.
In its ruling, the court invalidated the actions of the Mark-led leadership, including the process that produced Atiku as the party’s presidential flag bearer.
The development has raised questions about the ADC’s participation in the 2027 general elections and the validity of its candidates’ nominations.
However, the implications of the judgment for the party’s candidates remain a subject of legal disagreement, with some lawyers arguing that the ruling could invalidate their nominations, while others maintain that the candidates’ emergence through party primaries should be treated separately from the leadership dispute.
The judgment has also drawn reactions from political figures and opposition groups.
The ADC condemned the ruling and indicated its intention to challenge it through the appropriate legal channels, describing the development as a threat to opposition politics.
Former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi also criticised the judgment, arguing that electoral decisions should ultimately be determined by voters rather than courtrooms.
The Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) expressed solidarity with the ADC, while the Social Democratic Party called on the judiciary, security agencies and INEC to remain impartial in handling political disputes.
On the other hand, Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo defended the judicial process, urging Nigerians to assess court decisions based on the evidence and legal arguments presented.
Meanwhile, the ADC has maintained that it intends to participate in the 2027 elections despite the judgment, while preparing to pursue its legal options.
The ruling has therefore opened another chapter in the party’s leadership crisis, with its political future and Atiku’s presidential ambition likely to depend on the outcome of further legal proceedings.