FORMER Vice-President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has dismissed claims that the Court of Appeal judgment on the party’s leadership crisis invalidated the party’s primary elections for the 2027 general election, insisting that the ruling was limited to the conduct of congresses and the tenure of state executives.
News Point Nigeria reports that Atiku, reacting to the appellate court’s judgment on Monday, described attempts to portray the decision as the collapse of the ADC’s presidential ticket as political propaganda aimed at misleading Nigerians and weakening the opposition ahead of the 2027 elections.
In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, the former vice-president urged party members and supporters to remain calm, assuring them that the judgment had no bearing on candidates who emerged through the party’s direct primaries.
“Those celebrating today should celebrate with caution. Those attempting to sell false hope to their supporters should remember that political propaganda can never substitute for judicial pronouncements,” the statement read.
“The judgment being celebrated relates to the conduct of state congresses and the tenure of State Executive Committees. It does not, from the facts available, amount to a judicial nullification of the ADC’s primary elections conducted under the Electoral Act.”
Atiku argued that there was a clear legal distinction between the election of party executives through internal congresses and the nomination of candidates through statutory primary elections.
“There is a world of legal difference between the election of party executives through internal congresses and the nomination of candidates through statutory primary elections. They are distinct legal exercises, governed by different legal principles and serving different constitutional purposes. One should not be confused with the other,” he added.
The ADC chieftain further maintained that courts are constitutionally bound to determine only issues formally placed before them.
“It is a settled principle of law that courts determine only the issues submitted before them. They neither manufacture disputes nor pronounce on matters that were never placed before them. Any attempt to stretch this judgment beyond its proper scope is an invitation to legal absurdity,” he stated.
Atiku also criticised what he described as deliberate attempts to misrepresent the judgment on social media platforms.
“Our opponents appear more eager to write judgments on social media than to read the one delivered by the Court of Appeal. Nigeria is governed by the rule of law, not by headlines, hashtags or the fantasies of political opportunists,” he said.
The former vice-president disclosed that the ADC had already directed its legal team to challenge the appellate court’s ruling before the Supreme Court.
“We remain respectful of the judiciary and have already instructed our legal team to approach the Supreme Court for a definitive determination of the issues arising from the judgment. That is the proper constitutional path, and we have absolute confidence in the judicial process,” Atiku said.
He urged party supporters not to be discouraged by the development, insisting that the opposition’s quest to rescue Nigeria transcends courtroom battles.
“Let no supporter of the ADC lose sleep. Let no Nigerian who believes in the restoration of our country be discouraged. The struggle to rescue Nigeria has never been about one courtroom or one judgment. It is a movement born out of the collective desire of millions of Nigerians for competent leadership, economic recovery, national unity and the restoration of hope,” he said.
The Court of Appeal, in a split decision of two to one delivered in Abuja on Monday, upheld the judgment of the Federal High Court restraining the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognising or participating in state congresses organised by committees appointed by the Senator David Mark-led caretaker leadership of the ADC.
The majority judgment, delivered by Justice Okon Abang and supported by Justice Donatus Okorowo, held that the dispute involved constitutional issues and was therefore not protected by the doctrine of internal party affairs.
However, the presiding justice, Abba Mohammed, dissented, holding that the matter constituted an internal party dispute that ought not to have been entertained by the Federal High Court.
Following the judgment, the ADC announced its decision to approach the Supreme Court, maintaining that the appellate court’s ruling had no effect on candidates who emerged through the party’s primary elections ahead of the 2027 polls.
Reaffirming the party’s position, Atiku insisted that the ADC remained focused on the next general election.
“The road to 2027 remains open, and the resolve of the Nigerian people cannot be overturned by propaganda. Our destination remains unchanged, and by the grace of God and the will of the Nigerian people, we shall arrive,” he added.