Nigeria: Atiku Vows to Appeal Court Judgement Against His Candidacy, Seeks Stay of Execution

What the report says

Atiku Abubakar says he will appeal a Federal High Court ruling that invalidated his presidential nomination on the African Democratic Congress (ADC) platform and nullified decisions linked to the party’s David Mark-led leadership. The development, reported by Premium Times and distributed by AllAfrica, came after a Thursday judgment in Abuja that the campaign said it believed rested on flawed legal grounds.

According to the report, Atiku’s campaign council said its lawyers were preparing to seek a stay of execution and interim relief while it moves to the Court of Appeal. The campaign also rejected the court’s conclusion, saying the ruling should not stop its activities. Atiku separately maintained that his campaign would continue, including in Kebbi State after a rally launch in Sokoto.

The dispute is tied to an internal ADC leadership fight involving former Senate President David Mark and former Osun State governor Rauf Aregbesola. The court case was brought by Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former party deputy national chairman, who challenged the legitimacy of the leadership changes and the nominations made under that structure. Premium Times noted that it had not independently reviewed the full enrolled orders.

The case matters because it could affect the ADC’s candidate list and the wider opposition landscape ahead of the 2027 elections. The campaign council argued that earlier court proceedings had already addressed parts of the leadership dispute, but the report says those claims were not independently verified in the article.