By Beatrice Gondyi
Former Kaduna Central Senator, Shehu Sani, has urged the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, to pursue an appeal against the Federal High Court judgment that nullified the party’s leadership and ticket, rather than issuing threats capable of destabilising the country.
In a post on his verified X handle on Thursday, Sani said the party’s warning to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to “stop playing with fire” was misplaced, insisting that only a competent appellate court, not inflammatory rhetoric, could reverse the ruling delivered by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court, Abuja .
“The ADC should get ready to appeal their case instead of threatening the country with brimstones and fire,” Sani said. “This is the price they have to pay for taking over a troubled party instead of registering a new one”.
Justice Lifu had on Thursday nullified the David Mark-led caretaker committee of the ADC and invalidated all decisions taken under its authority, including the presidential primary that produced Atiku as the party’s candidate for the 2027 election.
The court held that the emergence of the Mark-led leadership violated the ADC constitution, the Electoral Act and the 1999 Constitution. The suit was filed by Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former ADC Deputy National Chairman (North-East), who challenged the process through which the caretaker committee assumed control following the resignation of former National Chairman Ralph Nwosu.
Sani argued that the coalition leaders, including Atiku, Mark, Rotimi Amaechi, Nasir El-Rufai and Rauf Aregbesola, were fully aware of the ADC’s internal disputes before adopting it as their platform. He said they could have approached the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register a fresh party with a clean constitution and leadership structure, rather than hijacking an existing platform already burdened by factions and litigation .
“They saw the trouble in the ADC. They entered it with their eyes open. Now the trouble has caught up with them,” he said .
He insisted that Nigeria was bigger than the ambitions of Atiku, Mark or any political party, and that the country should not be dragged into the ADC’s internal crisis. “The courtroom, not threats, will decide if Atiku remains on the ballot for 2027,” he added.
The ADC had earlier rejected the judgment in full, with its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, accusing the APC of attempting to cripple the opposition through judicial manoeuvres. The party warned the ruling party not to “play with fires you cannot control,” alleging that the timing of the judgment, barely 24 hours after a massive rally in Sokoto, exposed the government’s desperation .
The ADC also cited a subsisting judgment by Justice Musa Liman of the same Federal High Court, delivered on July 2, 2026, which had affirmed the legitimacy of the Mark-led National Working Committee. The party argued that a court of coordinate jurisdiction cannot nullify the ruling of another court of equal status.
Atiku, through his campaign’s Director of Strategic Communication, Phrank Shaibu, described the judgment as a “calculated attempt to weaken” his campaign. He alleged that the timing, coming shortly after the Sokoto rally, was part of a strategy to diminish his support in the North .
“The timing of this judgment is no coincidence. It is part of a strategy to weaken my support in the North and frustrate a campaign whose message is resonating across the country,” Atiku said. He vowed to challenge the decision at the Court of Appeal, questioning why a new suit was filed after the earlier Liman judgment had resolved the leadership dispute .
Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, however, welcomed the judgment, describing the sacked Mark-led leadership as an “illegal band of marauders.” He argued that no group could take over a political party without following constitutional procedures, including approval by the National Executive Committee or a mini national convention .
“Justice may be slow, but it is always SURE,” Keyamo wrote on X. “It is not only when a certain Atiku Abubakar contests the presidency that democracy is in danger” .
With the 2027 presidential election scheduled for January 16, the appellate process will be critical in determining whether the ADC can field candidates at all levels. For Sani, however, the path forward is clear: “Nigeria is bigger than Atiku, Mark and any party’s ambition” .
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