Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress, ADC, presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has dismissed claims that the Court of Appeal invalidated the party’s primary elections for the 2027 general elections, insisting that the judgment only addressed the conduct of state congresses and the tenure of the party’s state executive committees.
Mr Atiku, who spoke through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, in a statement issued on Monday, urged party members and supporters to remain calm, saying the judgment did not affect the validity of the ADC’s candidate nomination process.
The former vice president accused political opponents of deliberately misrepresenting the appellate court’s ruling to demoralise the opposition and mislead Nigerians.
According to him, the judgment being celebrated in some quarters did not nullify the party’s statutory primary elections conducted under the Electoral Act.
“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 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,” he said.
Atiku argued that there was a clear legal distinction between the election of party executives through internal congresses and the nomination of candidates through party primaries.
“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 former presidential candidate maintained that courts only determine issues specifically brought before them, insisting that any interpretation extending the judgment to the party’s primary elections was legally untenable.
“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.
He also accused opponents of relying on political propaganda instead of the contents of the court’s judgment.
“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.
Atiku disclosed that the ADC had already instructed its legal team to approach the Supreme Court for a final determination of the issues arising from the Appeal Court judgment.
“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,” he said.
He urged party members across the country not to be discouraged by the legal challenge, describing the ADC’s campaign as a broader movement aimed at restoring good governance, economic recovery and national unity.
“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.
Atiku further called on party members to remain united and continue mobilising ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“We therefore urge our members across the federation to remain calm, united and focused. Stay committed to the mission. Continue mobilising. Continue organising. Continue believing. No amount of legal gymnastics or political spin can extinguish the legitimate aspirations of Nigerians for a better country.
“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.
The statement followed Monday’s judgment of the Court of Appeal in Abuja, which upheld a Federal High Court decision restraining the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, from recognising state congresses conducted by committees appointed by the Senator David Mark-led caretaker leadership of the ADC.
