Candidacy Ruling: Atiku supporters take protest to court
Supporters of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar protested at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday, demanding a certified true copy of the judgment that nullified his emergence as the African Democratic Congress presidential candidate.
The protesters alleged that the delay in releasing the document to Atiku’s lawyers was a deliberate attempt to frustrate his right to appeal the ruling ahead of the 2027 election.
They submitted a petition at the court and said they would also approach the United States Embassy and the United Nations with copies, seeking their intervention.
The protest followed a judgment delivered by Justice Peter Lifu on Thursday, which declared the Senator David Mark-led ADC caretaker committee illegal and invalidated actions taken by the leadership.
Those actions included the primary election that produced Atiku as the party’s presidential flag bearer.
The ruling arose from a suit filed by the party’s aggrieved former National Deputy Chairman for the North-East, Nafiu Bala Gombe, challenging the process through which the Mark-led committee assumed office.
Gombe argued that he was entitled to take over the party’s leadership following the resignation of former National Chairman Ralph Nwosu.
In the suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025, he asked the court to nullify actions taken by the committee and restrain Mark and Rauf Aregbesola from presenting themselves as the ADC’s national chairman and national secretary, respectively.
He maintained that their emergence violated the party’s constitution and the Electoral Act. The ADC, Independent National Electoral Commission, Mark, Aregbesola and Nwosu were named as defendants.
The court upheld Gombe’s claims and granted his reliefs.
Atiku’s name had earlier been published by INEC as a presidential candidate. He subsequently chose former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi as his running mate.
The ADC has vowed to challenge the judgment. Its National Welfare Secretary, Nkemakolam Ukandu, who was joined in the case as an interested party, said the verdict would be contested at the appellate court.
Wednesday’s protesters demanded the release of the certified judgment to enable Atiku’s legal team to pursue the challenge.