The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo (SAN), has welcomed the Federal High Court judgment that removed the David Mark-led caretaker committee of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and nullified its actions, including the nomination of Atiku Abubakar as the party’s presidential candidate.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Reacting to the ruling, Keyamo declared: “Justice may be slow, but it is always sure!”

In his Thursday judgment, Justice Peter Lifu ruled that the caretaker committee was illegal and invalidated all decisions taken under its authority.

The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025, was instituted by Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former ADC National Deputy Chairman (North-East), who argued that he was entitled to lead the party following the resignation of its National Chairman, Ralph Nwosu.

Gombe also asked the court to stop Mark and former Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, from presenting themselves as the party’s National Chairman and National Secretary. He argued that their emergence violated the ADC constitution and the Electoral Act.

The ADC, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mark, Aregbesola and Nwosu were listed as defendants in the suit. The court granted all the reliefs requested by the plaintiff.

Keyamo maintained that the coalition group that took control of the ADC had acted without the approval of the party’s authorised organs.

“You cannot invade a political party owned and built by Nigerians and hijack it with the connivance of a so-called National Chairman without a prior meeting and approval of a mini National Convention or the National Executive Committee,” he stated.

The minister also accused the Mark-led group of attempting to blame the All Progressives Congress (APC) for its predicament, insisting that the court reached its decision based on the merits of the case.

“Sorry, but the law is decided on facts and evidence, rather than sentiments and outrage by a group of people,” he said.

Keyamo further dismissed suggestions that the judgment threatened democracy, describing the Mark-led leadership as an “illegal band of marauders” and insisting that the ADC belonged to its original members.

The ruling came a day after Atiku launched his campaign in Sokoto ahead of the January 16, 2027, presidential election.

INEC had previously listed Atiku as the ADC’s presidential candidate, with former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi named as his running mate.

However, the ADC has vowed to challenge the judgment at the Court of Appeal. The party’s National Welfare Secretary, Nkemakolam Ukandu, who was joined in the case as an interested party, confirmed that the party would appeal the decision.

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has declared that the presidential candidates of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, have nothing to offer Nigerians.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Wike made the remarks during his monthly media chat with selected journalists in Abuja, where he questioned the records of Atiku and other political figures who had previously held positions of power.

He maintained that Nigerians were aware that Atiku had failed to make meaningful contributions when he was given the opportunity to serve.

The minister also questioned who could stand against President Bola Tinubu’s political influence if the 2027 presidential election proceeds to a runoff.

Wike said: “I’m a political scientist and have been in politics more than a decade. Assuming there is a presidential runoff, it will be between Tinubu and who?

“Nigerians know that Atiku and co have been given the opportunity and they did not do anything, Nigerians know that the former governor of Rivers State looted our state, Nigerians know that Obi has nothing to offer, you were there when Soludo opened a can of worms.

“You talk about Kwankwaso my friend, I agree that he is very popular, he ran in 2023, won Kano and the rest Northern states, who were they voting?”

Meanwhile, Wike has dismissed claims that Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s political future has been jeopardised by his prolonged political dispute with the FCT minister.

He argued that Fubara is still young and that it would be wrong to conclude that his political prospects have been ruined.

Wike made the clarification on Thursday in Abuja during his monthly media chat with selected journalists.

The minister also disclosed that Fubara is an active member of the Rainbow Coalition, a multi-party political group supporting President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid.

According to Wike, the Rivers governor played a role in unveiling the coalition’s candidates in the state.

He said: “Governor Fubara is a young man. It will be incorrect to say that his political future is gone.

“Fubara is an active member of the Rainbow Coalition; in fact, he was the one who unveiled the Rainbow Coalition candidates in Rivers State.”

Former campaign spokesman for Atiku Abubakar, Segun Showunmi, has been seen in a viral video celebrating the Federal High Court judgment that nullified the former Vice-President’s presidential ticket on the platform of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

The video, which has circulated widely on social media, shows Showunmi clapping, laughing and dancing shortly after the judgment was delivered.

Showunmi, who has consistently criticised Atiku’s defection to the ADC, said the court’s decision had vindicated his earlier warnings about the coalition’s legal standing.

“I forewarned. I told them this would happen. They did not listen,” he said.

He recalled that his concerns had previously been dismissed as bitterness and jealousy when he questioned the legal status of the coalition that took control of the ADC.

“When I was shouting, they said I was bitter. When I warned, they said I was jealous. Now the court has spoken,” he added.

Showunmi had repeatedly argued that Atiku should have remained in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and worked towards rebuilding it instead of joining a coalition he described as a gathering of aggrieved politicians without a solid political structure.

He also predicted that the coalition’s takeover of the ADC, led by former Senate President David Mark, would eventually collapse in court.

In a judgment delivered on Thursday, Justice Peter Lifu ruled that the Mark-led caretaker committee was illegal and nullified the primary election that produced Atiku as the party’s presidential candidate.

The court also removed all the party’s national officers, including National Secretary Rauf Aregbesola, and voided the list of candidates submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the 2027 elections.

The suit was instituted by Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former Deputy National Chairman (North-East) of the ADC, who challenged the leadership change that followed the resignation of former National Chairman Ralph Nwosu.

Watch the video below: