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African Democratic Congress (ADC) counsel Kalu Kalu insisted on Thursday that a Federal High Court judgement ousting Senator David Mark’s party leadership did not invalidate former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar’s 2027 presidential candidacy.
Speaking on Channels Television, Kalu argued that Justice Peter Lifu’s November 5 ruling contained no explicit order voiding Atiku’s nomination or those of other candidates, blaming social media commentary for reading unintended conclusions into the court’s orders.
The legal dispute stems from a suit filed by former Deputy National Chairman Nafiu Bala Gombe challenging the emergence of Mark and National Secretary Rauf Aregbesola following executive resignations in July 2025.
Justice Lifu nullified the Mark-led National Working Committee, voided its decisions since July 29, 2025, and restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognising the faction—even though an earlier July 2, 2026, judgement by Justice Musa Liman had previously backed Mark’s leadership.
Atiku, who selected former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi as his running mate, condemned the ruling as an effort to weaken the opposition and pledged to fight it at the Court of Appeal.
National Publicity Secretary Bolaji Abdullahi similarly denounced the verdict as politically motivated, noting that the party has filed an appeal and a stay of execution while warning that the ruling threatens thousands of candidates.
Meanwhile, INEC stated it will review the certified true copy of the judgement and seek legal counsel before taking any action.
