Abuja — A senior spokesperson for African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar on Friday linked a Federal High Court judgment nullifying the former vice president’s candidacy to the party’s large campaign rally in Sokoto a day earlier, describing the event as one that “shook the APC to the bone marrow.”
Kenneth Okonkwo, speaking on Channels Television’s Morning Brief programme, said the Sokoto rally was “not just a rally but a historic journey to rescue our people from the incompetence and corruption of the APC, hunger, unemployment.” He framed the court ruling as coming in the immediate aftermath of what ADC officials presented as a successful flag-off of Atiku’s 2027 presidential campaign.
On Thursday, Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja nullified all processes that led to Atiku’s emergence as the ADC’s presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections. The judge also sacked the David Mark-led national leadership of the party, including former Interior Minister Rauf Aregbesola as national secretary, and cancelled the nominations of all ADC candidates for the elections. Justice Lifu held that the Mark-led caretaker committee emerged unlawfully and that actions taken under it, including the primary that produced Atiku, were invalid.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025, was filed by Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former deputy national chairman of the ADC (North-East). Gombe argued that following the resignation of former national chairman Ralph Nwosu, he was entitled to assume leadership under the party’s constitution, and that the process that brought in Mark and others violated the ADC constitution, the Electoral Act and the 1999 Constitution. The court upheld those claims.
The judgment came less than 24 hours after the ADC held its presidential campaign flag-off in Sokoto. Party officials and supporters described the turnout as massive, with reports of large crowds welcoming Atiku and chanting against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). Okonkwo and other ADC figures have portrayed the rally as evidence of public discontent over economic hardship.
Atiku has condemned the ruling as a calculated attempt to weaken the ADC and frustrate his candidacy. He and the party have indicated they will appeal. The ADC’s National Welfare Secretary, Nkemakolam Ukandu, said the party would challenge the decision at the appellate court. The ADC Presidential Campaign Council has also described the judgment as an “academic exercise” that has been overtaken by events while preparing legal steps.
The ruling has created fresh uncertainty for the ADC ahead of the 2027 polls. INEC had earlier published Atiku’s name as the party’s presidential candidate, with former Rivers State governor Rotimi Amaechi as his running mate. Counsel for the plaintiff have stated that the decision leaves the ADC without valid candidates for any elective positions in the elections unless further legal steps succeed.
There is also a backdrop of earlier conflicting Federal High Court decisions on the Mark-led leadership. In July 2026, another judge of the same court had upheld aspects of that structure in a separate suit. The latest ruling has sharpened questions about the party’s internal leadership disputes and the path forward for its 2027 aspirations.
Okonkwo maintained that the Sokoto event demonstrated Nigerians’ readiness for change and that the “rescue mission” would continue despite the court decision. The ADC is expected to pursue its appeal while pressing ahead with political activities.
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