Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has said Nigeria’s 2027 general election should be decided by voters at the ballot box rather than through litigation, following the Court of Appeal’s decision overturning a Federal High Court judgment that sought to deregister the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and other political parties.
The appellate court’s ruling effectively clears the legal hurdles confronting the ADC and enables the party to concentrate on preparations for the 2027 elections without the distraction of protracted court battles.
In a statement issued on Tuesday by his media office in Abuja, Atiku hailed the Court of Appeal justices for what he described as their courage, commitment to constitutional principles and dedication to justice.
He said the judgment had reinforced public confidence in the judiciary while strengthening Nigeria’s democratic institutions.
“As the nation advances towards the 2027 general elections, political contests must be decided by the votes of Nigerians—not by contrived lawsuits seeking to achieve in the courtroom what cannot be won at the ballot box,” Atiku stated.
According to him, the appellate court’s decision, coupled with an earlier judgment by Justice Liman of the Federal High Court in Abuja affirming the Senator David Mark-led National Executive Committee of the ADC, has effectively resolved all legal disputes surrounding the party’s leadership ahead of the next general election.
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He said the development firmly establishes the ADC’s legal status and eligibility to participate in the 2027 polls.
The statement noted that the Court of Appeal declared the June 15 judgment delivered by Justice Peter Lifu a nullity on the grounds that it was issued despite a subsisting order of the appellate court directing a stay of proceedings.
It further stated that the appellate court found that the plaintiffs lacked the legal standing to institute the suit and that their claims were speculative and unsustainable in law.
According to Atiku, the court also clarified that Section 225A of the Constitution should be interpreted disjunctively rather than conjunctively and held that the suit was premature because electoral processes in Osun and Ekiti states were still ongoing when the action was filed.
He added that the appellate court faulted the trial court for disregarding unchallenged affidavit evidence presented by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which showed that the ADC and the other affected political parties had complied with constitutional and statutory requirements.
“Having accepted INEC’s evidence, the lower court had no legal basis to manufacture additional conditions in order to arrive at what the Court of Appeal rightly described as a perverse decision,” he said.
Atiku argued that the significance of the judgment extends beyond the fortunes of any single political party, describing it as a victory for constitutional democracy, the rule of law and the principle of free political competition.
“The strength of a democracy lies not in the exclusion of political opponents but in allowing the people to freely determine their leaders through the ballot,” he said.
He also warned against the use of the judiciary and other state institutions as tools for political manipulation, saying such actions could undermine public trust in democratic institutions and weaken Nigeria’s constitutional order.
“The judiciary must never be transformed into a battlefield for eliminating political competitors or shrinking the democratic space,” he cautioned.
Atiku, however, commended the Court of Appeal for what he described as a courageous, impartial and constitutionally grounded judgment, saying the decision had strengthened confidence in the administration of justice and reaffirmed the supremacy of the rule of law over political expediency.
