Atiku Heads to Supreme Court, Insists Appeal Court Judgment Does Not Affect 2027 ADC Candidacy
African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar Monday, July 13, 2026, has vowed to challenge the recent Court of Appeal judgment at the Supreme Court, insisting that the ruling has no effect on his candidacy or the party’s presidential primary for the 2027 general election.
In a statement released on Monday in Abuja through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, the former vice president disclosed that he had instructed his legal team to seek a final interpretation of the appellate court’s verdict.
He also appealed to ADC members and supporters nationwide to remain calm and not be swayed by what he described as false narratives surrounding the judgment.
Atiku maintained that, contrary to claims by his political opponents, the Court of Appeal did not nullify the party’s presidential primary or the nomination of its candidates.
According to him, the judgment was limited to issues concerning the conduct of the party’s state congresses and the tenure of its state executive committees.
He emphasized that party congresses conducted to elect executives are legally distinct from primary elections organized to nominate candidates for elective offices.
Although both are internal party activities, he explained that they are governed by separate legal principles and constitutional provisions, making it wrong to assume that the outcome of one automatically affects the other.
The former vice president further argued that courts only rule on matters specifically brought before them, cautioning against interpretations that extend beyond the issues addressed in the case.
He also accused some critics of promoting misinformation by relying on political propaganda instead of the actual content of the court’s judgment.
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Expressing confidence in the judicial process, Atiku described the appeal to the Supreme Court as the proper constitutional avenue for resolving the legal questions.
He assured party supporters that the legal challenge would not disrupt the ADC’s preparations for the 2027 general election, insisting that the campaign remains on track and expressing confidence that the party’s mission to provide Nigerians with an alternative government would ultimately succeed.
