Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has welcomed the landmark judgment of the Court of Appeal, which set aside what he called the erroneous judgment of the Federal High Court that sought to remove the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and other political parties from Nigeria’s democratic space.
In a statement released on Tuesday by Atiku Media Office, the Waziri Adamawa congratulated the learned Justices of the Court of Appeal for their courage, fidelity to the Constitution and unwavering commitment to justice.
He said their judgement is a reassuring affirmation that the judiciary remains the last hope of the common man and the ultimate guardian of constitutional democracy.
“At a time when many Nigerians are anxious about the future of democratic governance, the Court has demonstrated that justice, when courageously dispensed, remains the strongest defence against arbitrariness.
“The appellate court rightly held that the judgment delivered on 15 June by Justice Lifu was a nullity, having been rendered in disobedience to a subsisting order of the Court of Appeal. It further found that the respondents lacked the locus standi to institute the action, describing their claims as speculative and legally unsustainable.
“The Court also clarified that Section 225A of the Constitution must be interpreted disjunctively, not conjunctively, and held that since the Osun and Ekiti election cycles were still active when the suit was filed, the action was premature,” the State added.
He noted the Court’s finding that the trial court ignored the uncontroverted affidavit evidence of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which confirmed that the ADC and other affected political parties had complied with all constitutional and statutory requirements.
“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,” the statement said.
Atiku said with the appeal court judgement validating its legal status, plus the judgment of Hon. Justice Liman of the Federal High Court, Abuja Division, affirming the election of Senator David Mark-led exco, the party has “finally navigated its way to the ballot for the 2027 general elections, as there’s no suit pending that challenges its leadership again.”
Atiku described the ruling as “far more than a legal victory for the ADC”, adding that it is “a victory for every Nigerian who believes that democracy must be nurtured through free political competition rather than strangled through speculative litigation.”
“We urge anti-democratic forces to resist the dangerous temptation of using the courts and other institutions of the state as instruments of political engineering. The judiciary must never be transformed into a battlefield for eliminating political competitors or shrinking the democratic space.”
“As the nation moves steadily towards the 2027 general election, political contests must be settled by the votes of Nigerians—not by contrived lawsuits designed to achieve through the courtroom what cannot be won at the ballot box.”
The media office expressed appreciation to the Justices of the Court of Appeal for what it called a “courageous, impartial and constitutionally grounded judgement”, adding that the decision has “strengthened public confidence in the administration of justice and reaffirmed that, in Nigeria, the rule of law remains superior to political expediency.”
“We remain confident that truth, justice and the democratic will of the Nigerian people will always prevail.”
