The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has declared that the African Democratic Congress (ADC) will field candidates in the 2027 general elections, but warned that former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and others produced by the David Mark-led faction risk exclusion from the ballot.
Speaking on Friday, November 6, 2026, via a public statement posted on his official X (formerly Twitter) handle, Keyamo clarified the implications of the landmark judgment delivered on Thursday, November 5, 2026, at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The High Court ruling nullified the leadership structure headed by former Senate President David Mark and set aside all decisions executed under his faction’s caretaker committee. Most notably, the judgment invalidated the presidential primary election that produced former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar as the ADC flagbearer for the 2027 presidential election.
Addressing what he termed “false alarms” generated by political commentators, Keyamo noted that the court judgment does not disqualify the ADC as a political party from participating in the upcoming general elections. Instead, it impacts only the specific candidates fielded under the nullified factional committee.
”For the education of the public, those raising false alarm that the court judgment on ADC means the party will not be on the ballot are spreading misinformation,” Keyamo stated. “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.”
Keyamo further questioned critics protesting the court’s decision, asking whether members who emerged through the party’s original leadership structure were less entitled to contest than high-profile figures.
”Are those Nigerians who successfully won their primaries under the faction of the original owners of the ADC lesser humans or lesser Nigerians than David Mark and Atiku Abubakar?” he asked.
Following the delivery of the verdict at the Federal High Court, representatives of both the ADC Campaign Council and the affected leadership rejected the judgment.
Spokespersons for Atiku Abubakar and the David Mark-led leadership announced immediate plans to file an appeal at the Court of Appeal in Abuja, vowing to pursue all legal avenues up to the Supreme Court to defend the validity of their presidential primary and leadership mandate.
Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is expected to review the court order to determine its administrative stance on candidate submissions for the 2027 general elections.
