The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has said it will challenge a Federal High Court judgment that nullified the process through which former Vice President Atiku Abubakar emerged as its presidential candidate for the 2027 election.
The party’s National Legal Adviser and former Edo State Governor, Oserheimen Osunbor, made the disclosure on Thursday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
He said the party was not discouraged by the ruling and would continue its campaign activities while seeking to overturn the judgment.
“Our presidential candidate (Atiku Abubakar) and the presidential campaign is going on, unperturbed because we believe that this judgment will not stand and cannot stand,” Osunbor said.
He expressed confidence that Atiku would overcome the legal challenge, insisting the former vice president enjoyed public support.
“Atiku will survive because the people are behind him. The force of the people will be greater than the force of those who want to enslave Nigerians,” he added.
Osunbor accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of fearing a strong opposition candidate ahead of the January 2027 presidential election.
“I have said that repeatedly, they (APC) are afraid of any strong candidate running against President Bola Tinubu in the January presidential election,” he said.
The judgment, delivered on Thursday by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja, removed the David Mark-led leadership of the party and invalidated decisions taken under it, including the process that produced Atiku as the ADC’s presidential candidate.
The suit was filed by Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former National Deputy Chairman of the party, who challenged the process through which the Mark-led leadership took over the ADC.
The ADC has rejected the ruling and vowed to challenge it at the appellate court.
