2027: ADC will be on ballot; Atiku may not — Keyamo

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has said the African Democratic Congress will participate in the 2027 general elections, but warned that candidates produced by the David Mark-led faction, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, might be excluded from the ballot.

The clarification was made in a post on his verified X handle on Sunday, following concerns that the recent Federal High Court judgment against the Mark-led leadership could jeopardise the ADC’s participation in the elections, ValidViewNetwork reports.

THE CLARIFICATION

Keyamo was unequivocal. “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,” he wrote. “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.”

THE JUDGMENT

The Federal High Court in Abuja had on Thursday nullified the Mark-led leadership of the ADC and invalidated decisions taken by the faction, including the presidential primary that produced Atiku as the party’s candidate for the 2027 election.

The judgment followed a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025, instituted by former ADC Deputy National Chairman (North-East), Nafiu Gombe, who challenged the process through which Mark and other members of the caretaker committee assumed control of the party.

Gombe argued that following the resignation of the former National Chairman, Ralph Nwosu, he was constitutionally entitled to take over the party’s leadership.

THE QUESTION

Keyamo questioned why candidates who emerged from the party’s original leadership structure should be denied the opportunity to contest.

“Therefore, the question we must ask those raising hell is: 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 asked .

THE NEXT STEPS

The ADC has rejected the judgment and announced plans to challenge it at the Court of Appeal.

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INEC has said it will not take a position on the leadership crisis until it obtains and studies the certified true copy of the judgment .

WHY IT MATTERS

Keyamo’s intervention draws a crucial distinction that has been lost in the political noise.

The court did not ban the ADC. It sacked the Mark-led leadership and invalidated its decisions. The party can still field candidates—but those candidates must emerge from the recognised leadership structure, not the faction that the court has declared illegal.

For Atiku, the implication is stark. His candidacy depends on the outcome of the appeal. If the Supreme Court upholds the judgment, he will not be on the ballot. If it overturns it, he will be.

The legal battle continues. The political battle continues. And Atiku’s fate hangs in the balance. ValidViewNetwork reports.