2027: INEC to Abide by Court Decisions on Atiku’s Eligibility – Amupitan
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has assured that it will 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 judicial pronouncement, stressing that its decisions on candidates and political parties would be guided by the law.
Amupitan made the clarification while responding to journalists in Abuja amid controversy surrounding Atiku’s emergence as the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
The dispute followed a November 5 judgment by the Federal High Court in Abuja, presided over by Justice Peter Lifu, which nullified the David Mark-led leadership of the ADC and invalidated decisions taken under its authority.
The judgment also restrained INEC from recognising Mark, former Interior Minister Rauf Aregbesola and other members of the disputed National Working Committee as national officers of the party.
However, Amupitan disclosed that INEC had yet to receive a Certified True Copy (CTC) of the judgment, insisting that the commission would not rely on social media reports or media interpretations to determine the legal implications of court decisions.
He explained that once a certified copy was received, it would be examined and forwarded to the relevant departments for legal advice before the commission takes a position.
According to him, the procedure was necessary to ensure that INEC acted strictly on the orders contained in the judgment rather than assumptions or interpretations.
The court ruling stemmed from a suit filed by Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former Deputy National Chairman of the ADC, who challenged the process through which Mark emerged as national chairman following the resignation of the party’s former leadership in July 2025.
Gombe argued that the vacancies created by the resignations ought to have been filled through democratic elections in line with the party’s constitution and the Electoral Act.
Justice Lifu ruled that the process that produced Mark and Aregbesola as national chairman and national secretary, respectively, did not meet the required legal standards.
The court subsequently declared actions and decisions taken by the Mark-led leadership from July 29, 2025, null and void, while recognising Gombe as the only elected member of the ADC National Working Committee whose tenure remained valid.
The ADC has, however, rejected the judgment and vowed to challenge it at the Court of Appeal, describing the ruling as erroneous and politically motivated.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, maintained that the ADC possessed Gombe’s original resignation letter, disputing the basis of the court’s findings.
The party has also expressed concern that the judgment could affect its participation in the 2027 elections and the candidacies of its numerous nominees.
ADC lawyer, Kalu Kalu, separately argued that the judgment did not expressly cancel Atiku’s presidential nomination or those of other party candidates.
Speaking on Channels Television, Kalu insisted that there was no specific order in the judgment nullifying individual candidacies, maintaining that the court’s decision should not automatically be interpreted as invalidating Atiku’s nomination.
Atiku, who emerged as the ADC presidential candidate in May 2026, has also rejected the ruling and vowed to challenge it.
The former vice-president subsequently selected former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, as his running mate ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
INEC’s eventual position on the controversy is expected to be determined by its examination of the certified judgment, legal advice and any subsequent decisions by appellate courts.
The commission has reiterated that it will respect judicial pronouncements and operate strictly within the provisions of the law as preparations for the 2027 elections continue.
