Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has said the outcome of the 2027 general elections should be determined by Nigerians at the ballot box rather than through litigation, following the Court of Appeal’s decision setting aside a Federal High Court judgment that sought to deregister the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and four other political parties.
The appellate court’s ruling effectively removes the legal uncertainty surrounding the ADC, clearing the way for the party to focus on preparations for the 2027 elections without the distraction of prolonged court proceedings.
In a statement issued on Tuesday by his media office in Abuja, Atiku praised 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 strengthened public confidence in the judiciary while reinforcing 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 said.
According to the former vice president, the appellate court’s decision, together with an earlier judgment by Justice Liman of the Federal High Court in Abuja recognising 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.
He maintained that the judgments firmly establish 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 because it was issued despite a subsisting order directing the lower court to stay proceedings.
It added that the appellate court also held that the plaintiffs lacked the legal standing to institute the suit and that their claims were speculative and unsupported in law.
Atiku further said the court clarified that Section 225A of the Constitution should be interpreted disjunctively rather than conjunctively and ruled that the suit was premature since the electoral processes in Osun and Ekiti states were still ongoing when the action was filed.
He also noted that the Court of Appeal 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 all 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 ruling 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 participation.
“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 warned against using the judiciary and other state institutions as instruments of political manipulation, saying such actions could erode public confidence 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 delivering what he described as a courageous, impartial and constitutionally sound judgment, saying the decision had reinforced confidence in the administration of justice and reaffirmed the supremacy of the rule of law over political expediency.
