Court Ruling Disqualifies Atiku Abubakar as ADC Presidential Candidate for 2027

A Federal High Court in Abuja has ruled that former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar is no longer the presidential candidate for the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in the 2027 election. The decision was made on Thursday by Justice Peter Lifu, who found that the party’s leadership process was illegal.

The court’s ruling also affects other party leaders, including former Senate President David Mark and Rauf Aregbesola, declaring their positions as national officers invalid. The court stated that all candidates nominated for the 2027 elections under this leadership are also disqualified.

This ruling came after a lawsuit was filed by Nafiu Bala Gombe, the ADC’s Deputy National Chairman. Gombe argued that he should have taken over the party’s leadership following the resignation of the former National Chairman, Ralph Nwosu. He claimed that Mark and Aregbesola assumed their roles unlawfully.

Justice Lifu agreed with Gombe, stating that the actions taken by the Mark-led leadership violated the ADC’s constitution and relevant laws. The court also instructed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to recognize any decisions made during the party’s 99th National Executive Committee meeting held in July 2025.

Following the ruling, Gombe’s lawyer, Lukman Fagbemi, SAN, explained that all actions taken by the Mark-led leadership since July 2025 are now considered null and void. This means that the ADC currently has no candidates for any elected positions in the upcoming elections, from the presidency to local government.

Another lawyer for Gombe, Luka Musa Haruna, SAN, noted that the court’s decision followed a Supreme Court directive to resolve the matter. He emphasized that the ADC is now without representation in the upcoming elections unless it aligns with Gombe’s leadership.