Atiku insists he remains in 2027 race as APC denies court interference

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar on Friday insisted he remains in the 2027 presidential race despite the Federal High Court invalidating his nomination by the African Democratic Congress (ADC), as the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) denied influencing the court proceedings.

In a statement issued from Sokoto and dated 6 November, Atiku told supporters that Thursday’s judgement would not end his campaign.

“Let me be clear to every Nigerian who has stood with us: I am in this race. I am not going anywhere. We will be on the ballot. No threat, blackmail or court manoeuvre will make me abandon you or the cause we share,” he said.

The declaration followed a Federal High Court ruling invalidating the David Mark-led ADC leadership and decisions taken under it, including the presidential primary that produced Mr Atiku.

Atiku accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of using the courts and political pressure to weaken the opposition.

He questioned why a government whose supporters claimed the backing of 32 governors would seek to prevent political competition rather than defend its record at the polls.

He also alleged that the ruling party was pressuring politicians to defect and attempting to compromise the voters’ register with artificial intelligence-generated photographs, false names and fictitious identities.

He offered no evidence in Friday’s statement linking the administration to the court case or the alleged register manipulation.

The former vice-president criticised the government’s handling of petrol subsidy removal, the naira’s depreciation, food prices and insecurity, saying his campaign would continue to focus on the cost of living.

“We will resist with all our strength every attempt to turn Nigeria into a one-party state. Nigeria belongs to all its people. Our democracy must remain open to more than one party and more than one voice,” he said.

He urged supporters to remain calm and continue campaigning, adding: “Bola cannot use the courts to escape the judgment of Nigerians at the ballot box.”

The APC rejected the allegations in a statement published on its official X account and signed by National Publicity Secretary Felix Morka.

Mr Morka said the case arose from disagreements among ADC members over how Mr Mark and other national officers assumed control of the party.

“To be clear, APC is neither a party nor an interlocutor in the matter. Nothing about the case has anything to do with the APC. And the APC has absolutely no role in the party’s judicial quagmire,” he said.

The APC accused the Mark-led group of accepting favourable judicial decisions while questioning the judiciary when rulings went against it.

Mr Morka urged the ADC to appeal rather than engage in “partisan mudslinging”.

The response followed allegations by ADC National Publicity Secretary Bolaji Abdullahi, who accused the ruling party of attempting to exclude the opposition from the elections.

Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo separately responded on X, noting that Atiku signed Friday’s statement as a former vice-president rather than as the ADC presidential candidate.

“Thank you, your Excellency @atiku, for not disobeying the court order disqualifying you as Presidential Candidate of the ADC,” he wrote.

“That is how a Statesman should behave and respect the Rule of Law. Be properly guided.”

Mr Keyamo interpreted the signature as an acknowledgement of the court’s decision, although Atiku had expressly maintained in the statement that he remained in the race.

Justice Peter Lifu delivered Thursday’s judgement in a suit brought by Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former ADC deputy national chairman for the North-East.

The court invalidated the disputed leadership’s decisions, including nominations for the 2027 elections.

The Mark-led ADC has rejected the ruling and questioned its relationship with an earlier Federal High Court judgement delivered by Justice Musa Liman in a separate leadership case.

The party’s presidential campaign council announced plans to appeal and seek interim relief. No order staying Justice Lifu’s judgement had been independently verified at the time of filing.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had listed Atiku and his running mate, Rotimi Amaechi, among its presidential candidates before Thursday’s decision. The commission had not publicly stated how it would implement the judgement.