Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has said the African Democratic Congress (ADC) will participate in the 2027 general elections, but former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and other candidates produced by the faction led by former Senate President David Mark may not appear on the ballot.
Keyamo described as misinformation claims that the recent Federal High Court judgment affecting the party’s leadership could prevent the ADC from participating in the elections.
The minister stated this in a post on his X handle on Sunday, arguing that the court’s decision should not be interpreted as disqualifying the entire political party from the 2027 electoral process.
“For the education of the public, those raising false alarm that the court judgment on ADC means the Party will not be on the ballot are spreading MISINFORMATION.
“The ADC WILL BE ON THE BALLOT. It is the David Mark faction of candidates, including ATIKU ABUBAKAR that MAY NOT be on the ballot (depending on the final judgment of the Supreme Court),” he wrote.
Keyamo further questioned why candidates who successfully secured their tickets under the faction he described as the original owners of the ADC should be denied the opportunity to contest in the forthcoming elections.
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👉 JOIN GISTSMATE WHATSAPP CHANNEL“Therefore, the question we must ask those raising hell is that, are those Nigerians who successfully won their Primaries under the faction of the original owners of the ADC lesser humans or lesser Nigerians than David Mark and Atiku Abubakar?” he added.
The minister’s latest comments come amid the leadership crisis rocking the opposition party following a judgment of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which nullified the David Mark-led caretaker leadership of the ADC.
Justice Peter Lifu, in the judgment delivered on Thursday, declared the Mark-led caretaker committee illegal and invalidated decisions taken by the committee, including the process that produced Atiku as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2027 elections.
The judgment followed a suit instituted by Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former Deputy National Chairman of the ADC, who challenged the emergence of the Mark-led leadership.
The ruling has triggered political reactions, with the ADC and its supporters expressing concerns about its implications for the party’s participation in the 2027 elections.
The party has, however, rejected the judgment and indicated plans to challenge it on appeal.
Sunday’s statement is not the first time Keyamo has suggested that Atiku’s possible exclusion from the 2027 presidential race should not be a source of concern.
On Friday, the minister stirred reactions when he declared that “heavens will not fall” if the former Vice-President was not on the ballot in the next general election.
While defending the Federal High Court judgment, Keyamo argued that politicians should respect judicial decisions rather than attack judges whenever rulings do not favour their interests.
He cited the Supreme Court’s 2019 judgment on the Zamfara State elections, which nullified the victories of APC candidates and declared their Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) opponents winners over irregularities in the party’s primaries.
He also referenced the February 2020 Supreme Court judgment that nullified the election of the APC governorship candidate in Bayelsa State, David Lyon, a day before his scheduled inauguration, paving the way for PDP’s Douye Diri to become governor.
Keyamo recalled that Atiku had supported the Supreme Court’s decision in the Zamfara case, describing it as a victory for the rule of law.
He consequently questioned why political actors who previously defended judicial decisions would now criticise the judiciary over a ruling affecting their political interests.
“You cannot abuse judges and blackmail the judiciary when it doesn’t go your way,” he said.
“Heavens WILL NOT FALL IF A CERTAIN ATIKU ABUBAKAR IS NOT ON THE BALLOT IN 2027,” the minister added.
Atiku, however, has rejected the implications of the ruling, insisting that nothing would prevent him from contesting the 2027 presidential election.
The former Vice-President maintained that Nigerians should be allowed to decide their political future through the ballot box, while the ADC has vowed to pursue legal avenues to challenge the judgment.
The final determination of the dispute is expected to have significant implications for the party’s leadership, the validity of its primaries and the eligibility of candidates seeking to contest under its platform in 2027.
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