Will Atiku Abubakar be on Nigeria's presidential ballot after court ruling?

Published1 hour ago

Nigeria's Federal High Court has sacked the leadership of the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC) party - and also ruled that the nomination of its presidential candidate, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, is invalid.

A statement from the ADC said the ruling was another desperate attempt to cripple the opposition.

Presidential elections are scheduled to take place on 16 January when President Bola Tinubu's main challengers are again expected to be Abubakar and former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi.

What is the row about?

Several high-profile politicians joined the ADC in 2025 - disillusioned by the factional infighting in the once powerful Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Amongst them were Abubakar - who had served as vice-president between 1999 and 2007 when the PDP was in power - and former Senate president David Mark.

As accommodations were made for the line-up of political heavy-weights, Mark took over as its interim chairman.

But Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former ADC national deputy chairman, argued before the court that this was not lawful as Mark and others had not been elected at a national convention.

Instead, he said, he himself should have taken over the party's leadership following the resignation of the ADC's former chairman in 2025.

Interestingly, this is not first time the Federal High Court in the capital, Abuja, has ruled on the leadership of the party.

In July, judge Musa Liman said Mark had been chosen in accordance with the country's laws and the party's constitution - in a case brought by another former ADC member.

Abubakar said the latest case raised serious legal concerns: "Why, after that judgment, was another case filed to reopen the same dispute?"

In a statement, the ADC added that Thursday's judgement by Justice Peter Lifu was aimed at stifling the opposition momentum and "was a calculated attempt to weaken the ADC and frustrate" Abubakar's candidacy.

What happens next?

The ADC says it will challenge the ruling at the Court of Appeal.

In a statement on X, Abubakar, 79, said it showed the "panic was real" by those who felt threatened by his candidacy, external.

He said the timing of the judgment was telling as it came "barely a day after a mammoth crowd turned out in Sokoto [northern Nigeria] to welcome him" at the launch of his campaign.

"The people of Sokoto came out in their thousands because they are hungry for change and believe in our promise to make life affordable again. What we witnessed in Sokoto is only the beginning."

Political parties in Nigeria have increasingly been taking internal issues to court.

But as it stands, the electoral commission has issued its final list of candidates, external - and Abubakar is on the ticket for the ADC with former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi as his running mate.

Will the latest ruling affect the opposition?

The ADC is effectively the most powerful opposition to President Tinubu. Many influential politicians opposed to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) have already defected to the party.

The legal saga could complicate things - it may cause uncertainty for hundreds of ADC candidates as well as raise questions over who has the authority to represent them.

But Abubakar, who hopes it will be seventh-time lucky in his ambition to be Nigeria's next president, is confident the matter will be resolved and called on his supporters not to be distracted.

"Nigerians deserve relief from this crushing cost-of-living crisis. We urge our supporters to remain resolute, take our message from house to house and door to door, and stay peaceful and focused," the 79-year-old said.

Peter Obi - the other main presidential candidate who is on the ballot for a second time - has said he is shocked by Thursday's high court ruling.

He released a statement on X with the heading, external: "Do not undermine democracy".

The 65-year-old went on to say: "My concern is that three months before a general election, it is in the public interest to have certainty.

Obi had briefly joined the ADC before leaving earlier this year to join the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) - in part because of the legal challenges within the ADC.

"The sustenance of democracy in Nigeria, in the midst of encroaching military rule in West Africa, should strengthen our resolve to protect opposition politics and not stamp out opposition parties," he said.

The NDC's candidate said that, as president, he would ensure that the existence of opposition parties would be respected.

"This is a time to strengthen our democracy by allowing the opposition to thrive."

Additional reporting by Chris Ewokor in Abuja

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