Counsel to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Kalu Kalu, has insisted that the Federal High Court judgment removing Senator David Mark’s leadership of the party did not invalidate former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar’s 2027 presidential candidacy.
Kalu made the clarification on Thursday during an interview on Channels Television, arguing that Justice Peter Lifu’s November 5 ruling contained no specific order nullifying Atiku’s nomination or those of other candidates.
He blamed interpretations circulating on social media for suggesting that the judgment had automatically affected the party’s candidates.
The legal dispute followed a suit filed by former ADC Deputy National Chairman, Nafiu Bala Gombe, challenging the emergence of Mark as national chairman and Rauf Aregbesola as national secretary after a series of executive resignations in July 2025.
In his ruling, Justice Lifu nullified the Mark-led National Working Committee, set aside its decisions taken since July 29, 2025, and restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognising the faction.
The judgment came despite an earlier ruling delivered on July 2, 2026, by Justice Musa Liman, which had upheld Mark’s leadership of the party.
Atiku, who picked former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi as his running mate, had condemned the judgment, describing it as an attempt to weaken the opposition.
He also vowed to challenge the decision at the Court of Appeal.
The ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, also criticised the ruling, describing it as politically motivated.
Abdullahi disclosed that the party had filed an appeal and an application for a stay of execution, warning that the judgment could affect thousands of candidates seeking to contest under the party.
Meanwhile, INEC said it would review the certified true copy of the judgment and seek legal advice before deciding on its next course of action.
