The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has pledged to comply with court decisions regarding the eligibility of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar to contest the January 2027 presidential election.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, said the commission would not take any action contrary to a valid court order, stressing that it would be guided by the law and relevant judicial pronouncements in determining candidates’ eligibility.
Amupitan spoke while responding to journalists’ questions in Abuja, amid controversy surrounding Atiku’s emergence as the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
The controversy followed a Federal High Court judgment delivered by Justice Peter Lifu in Abuja on November 5, which nullified the leadership structure of the ADC led by former Senate President David Mark.
The ruling invalidated the Mark-led National Working Committee and decisions taken under its leadership, including the process through which Atiku emerged as the party’s presidential candidate.
However, Amupitan said INEC would not rely on social media reports or media interpretations to determine the implications of the judgment.
He explained that the commission must first obtain the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the judgment, examine its contents and seek legal advice before taking any action.
“As of today, I have not received a certified true copy of the judgment of the Federal High Court because we don’t just act on the basis of what is on social media,” he said.
The INEC chairman added that any judgment received would be forwarded to him for consideration before relevant departments provide legal advice for the commission’s decision.
The suit that led to the judgment was filed by Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former Deputy National Chairman of the ADC, who challenged the process through which Mark emerged as the party’s national chairman following the resignation of its former leadership in July 2025.
Gombe argued that the vacant positions should have been filled through democratic elections in accordance with the party’s constitution and the Electoral Act.
In his ruling, Justice Lifu held that the process that produced Mark and former Interior Minister Rauf Aregbesola as national chairman and national secretary, respectively, failed to meet the relevant legal requirements.
The court consequently nullified actions and decisions taken by the Mark-led leadership from July 29, 2025.
It also restrained INEC from recognising Mark, Aregbesola and other members of the disputed National Working Committee as national officers of the party.
The court further directed the commission not to recognise decisions taken at the ADC’s 99th National Executive Committee meeting held on July 27, 2025.
It, however, recognised Gombe as the only elected member of the party’s National Working Committee whose four-year tenure remained valid, without declaring him the substantive national chairman.
The ADC has rejected the judgment and indicated plans to challenge it at the Court of Appeal.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, faulted the court’s findings, insisting that the party possessed Gombe’s original resignation letter.
The party also described the judgment as politically motivated, arguing that it could affect thousands of its candidates preparing for the 2027 elections.
Meanwhile, the ADC’s lawyer, Kalu Kalu, has disputed claims that the judgment expressly nullified Atiku’s presidential nomination.
Speaking on Channels Television, Kalu maintained that the court did not specifically issue an order cancelling Atiku’s candidacy or the nominations of other ADC candidates.
“There is no portion of that judgment that voids the candidacy of Atiku Abubakar and the other candidates of the party,” he said.
He argued that the court’s decision invalidating actions taken by the Mark-led leadership should not be interpreted as an express cancellation of individual candidates’ nominations.
Atiku, who emerged as the ADC presidential candidate in May 2026, has also rejected the judgment and vowed to challenge it in court.
The former vice-president subsequently selected former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, as his running mate.
Atiku, who contested the 2023 presidential election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), is seeking another opportunity to become Nigeria’s president.
The legal dispute has raised concerns over the ADC’s participation in the 2027 general elections, particularly as the January 16 presidential election approaches.
INEC said its eventual position would be determined by the contents of the certified judgment, legal advice and any subsequent decisions of appellate courts.
