2027 Politics Watch: From ADC’s court appeal to APGA’s Tinubu endorsement

The Federal High Court in Abuja ruled that the David Mark-led caretaker leadership of the African Democratic Congress was unlawfully constituted. Justice Peter Lifu ordered INEC to disregard decisions from the party’s 99th National Executive Committee meeting and later actions taken under that leadership. That included the presidential ticket and other candidate nominations.

The ruling therefore voided Atiku Abubakar’s nomination as the ADC’s presidential candidate, according to the article. It also placed governorship and legislative nominations at risk. The case was brought by Nafiu Bala Gombe, who argued that the party constitution entitled him to succeed Ralph Nwosu as chairman.

The immediate effect remained unsettled. ADC lawyers filed a notice of appeal and sought a stay of execution, while Gombe’s supporters urged INEC to recognise their leadership. INEC said it had not received a certified judgment or decided how to update its party records and candidate lists.

ADC’s lawyers asked INEC to hold off on implementing the judgment that voided Atiku Abubakar’s presidential nomination. Their 6 November letter said the party had filed a notice of appeal and applied for a stay of execution. They wanted the commission to await the court’s decision on that application.

The legal mechanism matters because an appeal and a stay are different things. Under Section 17 of the Court of Appeal Act, filing an appeal does not, by itself, suspend or pause enforcement of a judgment. A separate court order granting a stay is needed. The article said no such order had been independently verified by Friday night.

This left INEC facing competing demands. ADC officials backing Nafiu Bala Gombe urged recognition of their leadership, while the party’s lawyers sought delay. INEC had not received a certified judgment and had not announced how it would apply the ruling.

INEC receives political parties’ nominations, maintains party records and uses those records when preparing election materials and candidate lists. The article shows this through its party directory, nominations portal and responsibility for applying court decisions to leadership records. These functions matter because recognised party officials submit or confirm the names of candidates.

The court, however, decides whether a party’s leadership process or nomination is lawful when a dispute reaches litigation. In this case, Justice Peter Lifu ordered INEC to disregard decisions made under the Mark-led caretaker leadership. ADC’s rival forum also asked the commission to reopen its nominations portal for fresh primaries.

INEC had not yet received a certified judgment or discussed the case. Its directory still listed David Mark as chairman and Rauf Aregbesola as secretary on 7 November. Thus, the commission’s administrative records had not yet caught up with the court ruling. This explanation of INEC’s wider role uses general electoral-system knowledge beyond the article’s detailed account.

Anambra’s 2023 presidential vote showed a large gap between the candidates. Peter Obi, then the Labour Party candidate, received 584,621 votes. APGA’s own candidate, Peter Umeadi, received 7,388. Bola Tinubu received only 5,111 votes, which was less than one per cent of valid votes.

APGA now says it will field no presidential candidate and campaign for Tinubu. Governor Chukwuma Soludo set a target of 50 per cent of Anambra’s votes for him. The party will still seek support for its own legislative candidates. This arrangement links APGA’s presidential campaign with its separate legislative campaign.

The target signals the scale of the political shift APGA is seeking before the 16 January 2027 elections. It would be far above Tinubu’s 2023 share and would reverse the state’s overwhelming support for Obi. Soludo said a stronger Tinubu vote would give Anambra greater leverage in seeking federal projects.

The judgment directed INEC to disregard decisions of the ADC’s 99th National Executive Committee meeting and later acts under the David Mark-led caretaker leadership. Because those acts included nominations, enforcement could affect the party’s presidential, governorship and legislative candidates. Atiku Abubakar’s presidential ticket was specifically identified as voided.

The practical mechanism would be the removal or rejection of nominations linked to the disputed leadership. Kennedy Odion, secretary of the ADC National Executive Committee Chairmen Forum, asked INEC to reopen its nominations portal so the party could submit names after fresh primaries. The forum threatened nationwide protests if the commission failed to act.

The immediate outcome was not settled. ADC lawyers filed an appeal and sought a stay, while INEC said it had not received a certified judgment. Its directory still listed Mark as chairman on 7 November. If no stay is granted and INEC applies the ruling, the party could face a major re-nomination process.

A political party can make a joint presidential choice while continuing to contest other races with its own candidates. APGA’s arrangement separates the presidential contest from elections for the Senate, House of Representatives and state assembly. Its support for Tinubu does not require it to abandon its legislative slate.

At the campaign launch in Awka, Governor Chukwuma Soludo said APGA would field no presidential candidate and would campaign for Tinubu. The party would still seek votes for its own legislative candidates. APGA presented flags to 44 such candidates, including three Senate candidates and 11 House of Representatives candidates.

The arrangement followed support from APGA’s National Working Committee, while formal adoption had awaited a convention. It allows the party to align with Tinubu at the national level while preserving its own legislative campaign. The presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for 16 January 2027, with state assembly contests also part of the party’s electoral plans.

Nigeria’s political parties normally organise themselves, choose leaders and conduct primaries that produce candidates. Their officials then submit names to INEC. The electoral commission keeps party records, manages nomination procedures and prepares candidate lists, while courts can review whether party actions comply with law and the party constitution.

The ADC dispute shows the division in practice. Nafiu Bala Gombe argued that the constitution entitled him to succeed Ralph Nwosu as chairman. Justice Peter Lifu agreed that the David Mark-led caretaker leadership was unlawfully constituted and ordered INEC to disregard decisions made under it, including nominations. ADC lawyers then appealed and sought a stay.

INEC’s role is administrative but consequential. Its directory still listed Mark as chairman, and it had not decided how to apply the judgment. A certified ruling, any stay order and the appeal’s outcome could therefore affect which leadership and candidate names appear in official records. This explanation combines the article’s facts with general knowledge of electoral administration.