The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared that it will strictly comply with any binding court judgment regarding the eligibility of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar to contest the 2027 presidential election.
Chairman of the Commission, Prof. Joash Amupitan (SAN), made the commitment on Thursday, November 12, 2026, during a high-level policy dialogue held between 2:00 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. at the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House), 10 St James’s Square, London.
The event, organised in partnership with the Kimpact Development Initiative (KDI) and moderated by Chatham House Africa Programme Director Tighisti Amare, was themed “Nigeria’s 2027 Elections: Democratic Trajectory and Regional Stability Beyond the Ballot.”
Responding to questions surrounding the legal uncertainty over Abubakar’s candidacy on the platform of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Prof. Amupitan stressed that the electoral umpire is constitutionally bound to obey judicial pronouncements, up to the Supreme Court, once properly served. However, he noted that INEC will not act on media speculation.
”As of today, I have not received a Certified True Copy of the judgment of the Federal High Court because we don’t just act on the basis of what is on social media,” Amupitan stated, explaining that the commission must first obtain, review, and seek legal advice on the certified judgment before taking any administrative action.
The INEC Chairman also used the London forum to advocate for electoral and judicial reforms, proposing that pre-election litigation should be concluded at least six months to one year before general elections. According to him, late court rulings disrupt logistics as the commission enters critical phases of procuring sensitive election materials ahead of the January 16, 2027 presidential poll.
The controversy stems from a judgment delivered on Thursday, November 5, 2026, by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja. Ruling on a suit filed by former ADC Deputy National Chairman Nafiu Bala Gombe, Justice Lifu nullified the David Mark-led caretaker leadership of the ADC, which emerged following the resignation of former National Chairman Ralph Nwosu in July 2025, and invalidated decisions taken at the party’s 99th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting on July 27, 2025, including the May 2026 primary process that produced Atiku Abubakar as flagbearer.
Following the Federal High Court ruling and Amupitan’s remarks, key figures and spokespersons within the ADC pushed back against suggestions that Abubakar has been disqualified from the 2027 race:
Speaking on Arise Television on Thursday, November 12, 2026, Abdullahi confirmed that the party had filed an appeal against the judgment. He maintained that the party possesses the original copy of Gombe’s voluntary resignation letter, despite the trial court rejecting it, and lamented that politically motivated litigation was distracting the party from campaigning.
In a separate reaction, the party’s lawyer argued that Justice Lifu’s ruling did not contain an express order cancelling the individual nomination of Atiku Abubakar or other candidates produced under the Mark-led executive, insisting that critics were reading unintended conclusions into the judgment.
The former Vice-President, who has named former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi as his running mate, rejected the ruling as an attempt to weaken his political base in Northern Nigeria and vowed to pursue his appeal while remaining firmly in the 2027 presidential race.
INEC’s final decision on the status of the ADC presidential ticket now rests on its legal review of the Federal High Court’s Certified True Copy and any subsequent orders from the Court of Appeal.
