Keyamo: ADC will be on 2027 ballot, but Atiku may be excluded

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has said the African Democratic Congress (ADC) will participate in the 2027 general elections, but former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and other candidates produced by the faction led by former Senate President David Mark may not appear on the ballot.

Keyamo dismissed claims that the recent Federal High Court judgment on the ADC leadership crisis could prevent the entire party from participating in the elections, describing such claims as misinformation.

The minister stated this in a post on his X handle on Sunday, arguing that the judgment did not disqualify the ADC as a political party but could affect candidates produced by the David Mark-led faction.

“For the education of the public, those raising false alarm that the court judgment on ADC means the Party will not be on the ballot are spreading MISINFORMATION.

“The ADC WILL BE ON THE BALLOT. It is the David Mark faction of candidates, including ATIKU ABUBAKAR that MAY NOT be on the ballot (depending on the final judgment of the Supreme Court),” he wrote.

Keyamo also questioned why candidates who secured their tickets through primaries conducted under the faction he described as the original owners of the ADC should be denied the opportunity to contest in the forthcoming elections.

“Therefore, the question we must ask those raising hell is that, are those Nigerians who successfully won their Primaries under the faction of the original owners of the ADC lesser humans or lesser Nigerians than David Mark and Atiku Abubakar?” he added.

The minister’s comments come amid the leadership crisis rocking the opposition party following a Federal High Court judgment in Abuja that nullified the David Mark-led caretaker leadership.

Justice Peter Lifu, who delivered the judgment on Thursday, declared the Mark-led caretaker committee illegal and invalidated decisions taken by the leadership, including the process that produced Atiku as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2027 election.

The case was instituted by Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former deputy national chairman of the ADC, who challenged the emergence of the Mark-led leadership.

The ruling has generated political controversy, with the ADC and its supporters expressing concerns about its implications for the party’s leadership, primaries and participation in the 2027 elections.

The party has rejected the judgment and indicated its intention to challenge the decision through the appellate process.

Keyamo: ‘Heavens will not fall’ if Atiku is excluded

Sunday’s statement was not the first time Keyamo had suggested that Atiku’s possible absence from the 2027 presidential ballot should not be a cause for concern.

On Friday, the minister attracted criticism after declaring that “heavens will not fall” if the former vice-president was not on the ballot in the next general election.

While defending the court’s decision, Keyamo argued that politicians should respect judicial pronouncements rather than attack judges whenever rulings go against their interests.

He cited the Supreme Court’s 2019 judgment on the Zamfara State elections, which nullified the victories of APC candidates over irregularities in their party primaries and recognised their PDP opponents as the winners.

He also referenced the Supreme Court’s February 2020 decision on the Bayelsa governorship election, which nullified the election of APC candidate David Lyon shortly before his scheduled inauguration and paved the way for PDP candidate Douye Diri to become governor.

Keyamo recalled that Atiku had previously supported the Supreme Court’s decision in the Zamfara case, describing it as a victory for the rule of law.

He consequently questioned why politicians who had defended judicial decisions in the past would criticise the judiciary over a ruling affecting their current political interests.

“You cannot abuse judges and blackmail the judiciary when it doesn’t go your way,” he said.

“Heavens WILL NOT FALL IF A CERTAIN ATIKU ABUBAKAR IS NOT ON THE BALLOT IN 2027,” the minister added.

Atiku, however, has rejected the implications of the judgment, maintaining that nothing would stop him from contesting the 2027 presidential election.

The former vice-president has insisted that Nigerians should be allowed to determine their political future through the ballot box, while the ADC has vowed to pursue legal avenues to challenge the ruling.

The outcome of the ongoing legal dispute is expected to determine the party’s leadership structure, the validity of its primaries and the eligibility of candidates seeking to contest the 2027 elections under its platform.

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