Court voids Atiku's ADC candidacy, but he heads to Kebbi rally
- A Federal High Court in Abuja nullified the process that made Atiku Abubakar the ADC presidential candidate for 2027.
- The court also cancelled the nominations of all ADC candidates and voided David Mark's leadership of the party.
- Atiku has continued campaigning, travelling from Sokoto to Kebbi for a rally on Thursday.
Atiku Abubakar is pressing on with his presidential campaign despite a court ruling that nullified the process that produced him as the African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate for the 2027 election.
The former Vice President travelled from Sokoto to Kebbi State on Thursday for an ADC presidential rally, according to videos shared on X by his media aide, Abdul Rasheeth. The trip came hours after the ruling in Abuja.
What the court decided
Justice Peter Odo Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja nullified Atiku's emergence as the ADC presidential candidate. The judge also voided the emergence of former Senate President David Mark, Rauf Aregbesola and others as national officers of the party.
The ruling followed a suit by Nafiu Bala Gombe, a Deputy National Chairman of the ADC, who challenged how Mark and Aregbesola came to lead the party.
Justice Lifu further nullified all actions taken by the David Mark-led leadership and cancelled the nominations of all candidates the ADC presented for the 2027 general elections.
The court has not, in the reports available, barred Atiku from campaigning or from seeking office. The ruling concerns the internal processes that produced the party's candidates and officers.
Why it matters
Nigeria's 2027 election is still more than a year away, but the case shows how party primaries and internal leadership fights can end up in court and unsettle a campaign.
For ordinary voters, the practical question is who will appear on the ballot for the ADC, and whether the party can settle its disputes before the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) finalises nominations.
Atiku's decision to continue rallying in the North-West, a region with a large share of Nigeria's voters, suggests his camp is not treating the judgment as the end of the road.
The reports did not say whether Atiku or the ADC has appealed the ruling or asked for a stay. Until that is clear, the party's candidates remain in uncertain territory.
What happens next: watch for an appeal or a fresh set of primaries from the ADC, and for any statement from INEC on the party's candidate list.
