By Reloaded News
Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has said the African Democratic Congress (ADC) will participate in the 2027 general elections, while warning that candidates produced by the faction led by former Senate President David Mark, including former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, could be excluded from the ballot depending on the final outcome of the party’s leadership dispute.
Keyamo made the clarification on Sunday, November 8, while reacting to public concerns following a Federal High Court judgment in Abuja that nullified the David Mark-led leadership structure of the opposition party and invalidated decisions taken under it, including the process that produced Atiku as the party’s 2027 presidential candidate.
The minister described as misinformation suggestions that the judgment automatically prevented the ADC, as a political party, from participating in the next general election.
He argued that the dispute concerns the legitimacy of the leadership structure that produced certain candidates, rather than the continued existence or electoral participation of the party itself.
In his statement, Keyamo said: “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.”
The minister also questioned the protests against the court’s decision, arguing that members who secured their nominations under the party’s original leadership structure should not be denied their political rights because of the emergence of another faction.
He asked whether Nigerians who successfully won their primaries under the original party structure were less entitled to contest elections than candidates produced under the David Mark-led leadership.
Court Judgment Deepens ADC Leadership Dispute
The development follows a judgment delivered on November 5, 2026, by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja in a suit challenging the emergence of the David Mark-led leadership.
The court nullified the Mark-led caretaker leadership and invalidated decisions taken under its authority, including the process that produced Atiku as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2027 elections.
The judgment has introduced fresh uncertainty into the ADC’s preparations for the general elections, particularly over which leadership structure is legally entitled to manage the party’s affairs and nominate candidates.
The David Mark-led faction has rejected the judgment and commenced legal steps to challenge it. The party has appealed the decision and sought a stay of execution pending the determination of its appeal.
The dispute is therefore still subject to further judicial proceedings, and the final position on the validity of the affected leadership decisions and nominations remains unresolved.
Implications for the 2027 Opposition Contest
Keyamo’s intervention has brought renewed attention to the legal and organisational challenges facing the ADC as political parties prepare for the 2027 general elections.
Atiku’s emergence as the party’s presidential candidate had positioned the ADC as a platform for opposition political mobilisation. The court judgment, however, has placed the validity of that nomination within the broader dispute over the party’s leadership.
Beyond the presidential ticket, the uncertainty could also affect other candidates who emerged through processes conducted under the David Mark-led structure.
The outcome of the pending appeal and any subsequent proceedings will be significant in determining the leadership recognised for the purpose of the party’s affairs and the validity of its nominations.
For now, Keyamo maintains that the ADC itself remains eligible to participate in the 2027 elections, while the fate of candidates produced by the disputed leadership structure will depend on the final judicial outcome.
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