2027: Nigerians, Not Courts, Will Decide Next President, Says Atiku

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has said the 2027 general election must be decided by Nigerians at the ballot box and not through court judgments.

Atiku made the statement on Tuesday while reacting to the Court of Appeal’s decision to overturn a Federal High Court judgment seeking to remove the African Democratic Congress, ADC, and other political parties from Nigeria’s democratic space.

The appellate court’s ruling has removed the legal hurdles facing the ADC’s leadership, allowing the party to concentrate on preparations for the 2027 elections.

In a statement issued by his media office in Abuja, Atiku congratulated the Justices of the Court of Appeal for what he described as their courage, commitment to the Constitution and dedication to justice.

He said the judgment had restored confidence in the judiciary and strengthened constitutional democracy in the country.

“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,” he said.

According to the statement, the Court of Appeal’s ruling, alongside an earlier judgment by Justice Liman of the Federal High Court, Abuja Division, affirming the Senator David Mark-led National Executive Committee of the ADC, had effectively ended the legal challenges against the party’s leadership ahead of the 2027 elections.

The development, Atiku’s media office said, had firmly established the ADC’s legal standing to participate in the general elections.

The statement further explained that the Court of Appeal held that the judgment delivered on June 15 by Justice Lifu was a nullity because it was issued in disobedience to an existing order of the appellate court.

It added that the respondents did not have the legal standing to institute the case, describing their claims as speculative and legally unsustainable.

The appellate court also reportedly clarified the interpretation of Section 225A of the Constitution, holding that it should be read disjunctively rather than conjunctively.

According to the statement, the court further ruled that the case was premature because the Osun and Ekiti election cycles were still ongoing when the suit was filed.

Atiku also faulted the decision of the lower court, saying it ignored affidavit evidence from the Independent National Electoral Commission which was not challenged by the opposing parties.

According to him, INEC’s evidence confirmed that the ADC and 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 added.

The former Vice President said the judgment was not only important to the ADC but also represented a victory for constitutional democracy, the rule of law and Nigerians who believed in free political competition.

“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 stated.

Atiku also warned against what he described as attempts to use the judiciary and other state institutions to achieve political objectives.

He said such actions could weaken public confidence in democratic institutions and threaten the country’s constitutional order.

“The judiciary must never be transformed into a battlefield for eliminating political competitors or shrinking the democratic space,” he warned.

He urged political actors to allow Nigerians to freely choose their leaders through elections rather than attempting to use legal processes to remove political opponents from the contest.

Atiku, however, praised the Justices of the Court of Appeal for what he described as a courageous, impartial and constitutionally grounded judgment.

He said the decision had strengthened public confidence in the administration of justice and reaffirmed the supremacy of the rule of law over political interests.

The former Vice President’s comments come as political parties and aspirants begin preparations for the 2027 general elections, with the ADC emerging as one of the platforms attracting attention ahead of the polls.