Abuja Court Nullifies ADC Leadership and Atiku Abubakar Candidacy

Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja nullified the National Working Committee and Caretaker Committee of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), ruling that the leadership violated the party constitution, the Electoral Act, and the 1999 Constitution. The decision voids all congresses and primaries held under that leadership, specifically nullifying the 2027 presidential candidacy of Atiku Abubakar and the tenure of National Secretary Rauf Aregbesola.

This ruling creates a judicial conflict, as it directly contradicts a July 2, 2026, decision by Justice Musa Liman of the same court, who had previously affirmed the committee. The opposing verdicts from the same judicial body have fueled criticism regarding political influence and a lack of moral accountability within the Nigerian judiciary.

In a separate judicial development, retired Supreme Court Justice Uwani Musa Abba-Aji disclosed that the United States imposed a travel ban on a seven-member Supreme Court panel. The ban, which includes Chief Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun and former Chief Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad, followed a 2020 judgment concerning a gubernatorial dispute in Imo State.