INEC to meet over Atiku’s 2027 ADC ticket

The Federal High Court ruling removed the legal foundation for the ADC’s Mark-led caretaker committee and decisions made under it. This matters because those decisions included the party’s presidential primary and nominations for the 2027 general elections. INEC must determine whether those outcomes can still stand.

Justice Peter Lifu also invalidated the committee’s emergence, Rauf Aregbesola’s appointment as National Secretary, other national officer appointments, and the nominations of candidates presented by the ADC. The court directed INEC not to recognise or act on decisions from the party’s July 27, 2025, 99th National Executive Committee meeting.

INEC says it will not rely on media reports. It wants the Certified True Copy of the judgment first. The commission will meet next week to examine the ruling and its implications. If the Mark faction appeals and obtains a stay of execution, INEC says it will obey that further court order.

A Certified True Copy, or CTC, is an official court-issued copy that confirms the judgment’s authentic text. It records the court’s orders and reasoning in a form institutions can formally examine. That precision matters when a ruling affects party leadership, candidates, and election administration.

In this case, INEC said it would not decide the ADC dispute from news reports. Mohammed Haruna warned that reports could be wrong. The commission therefore wants to read the judgment itself, including its directions about the caretaker committee, Atiku’s primary, party officers, nominations, and the July 27, 2025, NEC meeting.

INEC said it will consider the CTC at its meeting next week. Until then, it will not take a position on the ADC leadership crisis. The commission also said it would obey any later court order, including an injunction staying execution if the Mark-led faction appeals.

The ruling affected four major areas of ADC activity named in the question. It nullified the Mark-led caretaker committee’s leadership, invalidated the presidential primary that produced Atiku Abubakar, cancelled national officer appointments, and invalidated candidate nominations for the 2027 general elections.

The leadership issue began with the committee’s emergence after former National Chairman Ralph Nwosu resigned. The court also invalidated Rauf Aregbesola’s emergence as National Secretary and the appointments of other national officers. It further rejected the party’s presidential primary and nominations presented under that leadership.

The ruling added a wider restriction. INEC was directed not to recognise or act on decisions taken at the ADC’s 99th National Executive Committee meeting on July 27, 2025. The commission will assess the ruling after receiving its Certified True Copy. Its next meeting will consider the practical effects across these four areas.

If the ruling remains in force, Atiku Abubakar’s status as the ADC’s 2027 presidential candidate could no longer rest on the invalidated primary. The court nullified the process through which the primary was conducted. That creates a direct legal problem for the ticket and for the party’s other candidates.

The court also invalidated nominations presented by the ADC for the 2027 general elections. This means the ruling reaches beyond the presidential contest. It affects the party’s wider candidate list because those nominations were made under the leadership process the court rejected. The court directed INEC not to recognise or act on decisions from the July 27, 2025, NEC meeting.

The immediate position is not final. INEC says it must first obtain and examine the Certified True Copy. It will meet next week. If the Mark-led faction appeals and secures a stay of execution, INEC says it will obey that order instead.

The central figures are David Mark and Nafiu Bala Gombe. Mark led the caretaker committee that took control of the ADC. Gombe, a former ADC Deputy National Chairman for the North-East, challenged how Mark and the other committee members assumed control. He argued that the party constitution entitled him to take over after Ralph Nwosu resigned as National Chairman.

The Mark-led faction included Rauf Aregbesola, identified as a former Minister of Interior. Aregbesola emerged as National Secretary under that arrangement. Atiku Abubakar is connected to the dispute because the Mark-led leadership conducted the presidential primary that produced him as the ADC’s 2027 candidate.

Justice Peter Lifu ruled that the caretaker committee’s emergence contravened the ADC constitution, relevant Electoral Act provisions, and the 1999 Constitution. The court also invalidated the committee’s decisions and officer appointments. INEC will review the judgment before taking a position.

An appeal asks a higher court to review the Federal High Court’s decision. By itself, an appeal does not necessarily erase the judgment or stop its operation. A stay of execution is the key mechanism because it can pause enforcement while the appeal is considered.

The article gives a practical example. If the David Mark faction appeals and obtains an injunction for a stay of execution, INEC says it will obey that order. The commission would therefore have to follow the court’s updated direction about the leadership, primary, officers, and nominations affected by the ruling.

For now, INEC has not taken a position. It wants the Certified True Copy and plans to deliberate next week. The commission’s response could therefore depend on both the official judgment and any further order issued during an appeal. Without such an order, the Federal High Court ruling remains the decision INEC must examine.

A political party primary is an internal contest or selection process used to choose the person a party will present in a general election. It matters because the primary identifies the party’s candidate before election authorities process the party’s nominations. A valid primary gives the candidate the party’s formal backing.

In the ADC case, the Mark-led leadership conducted a presidential primary. That process produced former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar as the party’s proposed candidate for the 2027 general elections. The Federal High Court later nullified the caretaker committee and invalidated decisions taken under its leadership, including that primary.

The ruling therefore challenges the basis of Atiku’s ADC ticket, as well as other nominations made by the party. INEC says it will not decide from media reports. It will obtain the Certified True Copy, meet next week, and consider the judgment. Any appeal and stay of execution could change the immediate position.