The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has defended the Federal High Court judgment nullifying the David Mark-led leadership of the African Democratic Congress and the process that produced former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar as its presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections.
Keyamo, in a post on X on Friday, said judicial decisions should be respected and determined by facts and evidence rather than public sentiments or political pressure.
Reacting to criticism of the judgment, the minister dismissed suggestions that the absence of Atiku from the 2027 ballot would amount to a threat to democracy.
“You cannot abuse judges and blackmail the judiciary when it doesn’t go your way. Heavens will not fall if a certain Atiku Abubakar is not on the ballot in 2027,” he wrote.
Keyamo also argued that the African Democratic Congress remained an existing political party despite the court’s decision affecting its leadership.
He maintained that the party’s original leaders and members were equally entitled to participate in its affairs, describing them as Nigerians whose political rights should not be overlooked.
The minister’s comments followed Thursday’s judgment delivered by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja in a suit filed by Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former ADC Deputy National Chairman for the North-East.
The plaintiff had challenged the process through which former Senate President David Mark and other members of the caretaker leadership assumed control of the party.
The court ruled against the Mark-led leadership and invalidated decisions taken under its authority, including the presidential primary that produced Atiku as the party’s candidate for the 2027 election.
The ruling also affected the emergence of former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola as National Secretary and other party nominations for the forthcoming elections.
Keyamo’s reaction comes amid disagreements between supporters of the judgment and those who have questioned its implications for opposition politics.
The minister also referred to previous Supreme Court decisions involving the All Progressives Congress in Bayelsa State in 2020 and Zamfara State in 2019, arguing that political actors should demonstrate consistency in accepting judicial outcomes, including when such decisions are unfavourable.
In the Bayelsa case, the Supreme Court removed APC governorship candidate David Lyon after finding that his running mate, Biobarakuma Degi-Eremienyo, had presented false information about his qualifications.
In Zamfara, the court ruled that the APC had failed to conduct valid primaries, resulting in the party losing its candidates’ positions in the 2019 elections.
Meanwhile, the ADC has rejected Thursday’s judgment and vowed to challenge it through available judicial channels.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said the ruling raised legal questions because of an earlier judgment delivered by Justice Musa Liman of the same Federal High Court on July 2, 2026.
According to the ADC, the earlier decision affirmed the legitimacy of the Mark-led National Working Committee and directed the Independent National Electoral Commission to recognise the leadership.
The party said it was awaiting the certified true copy of Justice Lifu’s judgment to establish its precise terms and determine the full scope of the orders before pursuing its legal challenge.
Atiku has also rejected the ruling and vowed to appeal, while his campaign team said it was preparing to seek appropriate interim relief.
The latest development has intensified the legal and political dispute over the ADC’s leadership and its preparations for the 2027 elections.
For now, the Federal High Court judgment remains subject to the legal challenge announced by the affected party and candidate.
