ADC Crisis: Keyamo invokes Zamfara, Bayelsa precedents in defence of court ruling against Atiku

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, SAN, has defended the Federal High Court judgment nullifying former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar’s candidacy on the platform of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), declaring that Nigeria’s democracy would survive even if the former Vice-President failed to contest the 2027 presidential election.

Keyamo cautioned politicians against intimidating judges or blackmailing the judiciary over unfavourable decisions, insisting that court judgments must be assessed on the basis of facts, evidence and the law rather than political sentiments or calculations.

The minister made the remarks in a post on his X account on Friday, amid controversy surrounding Thursday’s judgment by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, which invalidated the leadership of the ADC caretaker committee headed by former Senate President David Mark.

The court also nullified decisions taken by the Mark-led leadership, including the process that produced Atiku as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections.

Reacting to the development, Keyamo said politicians must learn to respect judicial decisions rather than resort to personal attacks against judges whenever rulings go against their interests.

“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 declared.

Dismissing suggestions that the judgment amounted to an attack on democracy, the minister argued that the ADC had not been proscribed and remained free to operate through its original leaders and members, whom he said were no less Nigerian than those removed by the court’s decision.

To reinforce his argument, Keyamo recalled two major electoral setbacks suffered by the APC following Supreme Court decisions in Zamfara and Bayelsa states in 2019 and 2020 respectively, insisting that the party did not resort to attacking the judiciary despite the consequences of the rulings.

In the Zamfara case, the Supreme Court, on May 24, 2019, nullified the APC’s victories in the governorship, National Assembly and State House of Assembly elections over the party’s failure to conduct valid primaries within the period prescribed by law.

The decision paved the way for candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which came second in the elections, to assume the affected positions.

Similarly, on February 13, 2020, the apex court nullified the election of APC’s David Lyon as Bayelsa State governor-elect, barely 24 hours before his scheduled inauguration.

The judgment followed the disqualification of his running mate, Biobarakuma Degi-Eremienyo, over false information and discrepancies in the educational qualification documents submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The court held that the disqualification of the deputy governorship candidate invalidated the joint ticket, consequently disqualifying Lyon and paving the way for PDP candidate Douye Diri to become governor.

However, the circumstances of the two cases differ from the current ADC dispute, which centres on the legality of the party’s leadership structure and the validity of decisions taken by the caretaker committee, including the nomination of candidates for the 2027 elections.

While the Zamfara and Bayelsa cases involved compliance with electoral nomination requirements and candidates’ eligibility, the ADC matter concerns the authority of the Mark-led leadership to conduct the party’s affairs and nominate candidates.

Keyamo’s intervention comes amid heightened political tension following the judgment, which has thrown the ADC’s leadership structure and preparations for the 2027 general elections into uncertainty.

Atiku has rejected the ruling, insisting that no court manoeuvre would force him out of the presidential race. He has also vowed to challenge the decision at the Court of Appeal.

The unfolding dispute has intensified the debate over judicial authority, internal party democracy and the future of opposition politics ahead of the 2027 general elections.