Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has said the outcome of the 2027 general elections should be determined by Nigerians at the ballot box rather than through court cases, following the Court of Appeal’s decision restoring the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and other political parties.
Reacting to the appellate court’s judgment, Atiku described the ruling as a major victory for constitutional democracy, saying it had removed all legal obstacles preventing the ADC from participating in the 2027 elections.
The Court of Appeal had overturned a Federal High Court judgment that ordered the deregistration of the ADC and four other political parties, ruling that the lower court lacked the jurisdiction to entertain the suit.
In a statement issued by his media office, Atiku praised the justices of the Court of Appeal for what he described as their courage, commitment to justice and respect for the Constitution.
“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,” Atiku said.
According to the former vice president, the Court of Appeal’s judgment, alongside an earlier Federal High Court ruling affirming the Senator David Mark-led National Executive Committee of the ADC, has resolved all legal disputes surrounding the party’s leadership.
He said the decisions have firmly established the ADC’s legal status and cleared the party to participate in the 2027 general elections.
Atiku also noted that the appellate court ruled that the suit challenging the ADC’s registration was filed by parties without the legal standing to do so and that the lower court erred by ignoring affidavit evidence presented by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
“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 stated.
The former presidential candidate said the judgment was significant not only for the ADC but also for Nigeria’s democracy, insisting that political competition should remain free and fair.
“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 added.
Atiku further warned against using the judiciary and other state institutions as political tools to weaken opposition parties.
“The judiciary must never be transformed into a battlefield for eliminating political competitors or shrinking the democratic space,” he cautioned.
He concluded by commending the Court of Appeal for what he described as an impartial and constitutionally sound judgment that has strengthened public confidence in the rule of law.
