Atiku Abubakar has announced plans to appeal a Federal High Court ruling that invalidated his nomination as the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress.
The judgment, delivered in Abuja on Thursday, also nullified the party's interim leadership and set aside decisions reached under its tenure. Those invalidated decisions included the primary process that produced the former vice president as the party's flagbearer for the 2027 election.
Legal representatives for the campaign council confirmed they are preparing an application for a stay of execution.
A stay would ask the court to suspend enforcement of the judgment while higher judicial reviews take place. Public court records have not yet confirmed whether the formal application has been heard or granted.
Grounds of the High Court Ruling
The legal challenge originated from a suit filed by an aggrieved former national deputy chairman of the party.
The claimant argued that internal leadership changes made after the resignation of the former party chairman bypassed constitutional procedures. The claimant maintained that interim officers lacked the legal mandate to oversee administrative decisions or candidate nominations.
The presiding judge agreed with the challenge, declaring the interim committee unlawful and voiding its actions.
The decision has cast temporary uncertainty over candidate lists across multiple electoral tiers while the matter moves to an appellate level.
Campaign Rejects Judgment as Political Distraction
Atiku and his campaign leadership firmly rejected the ruling, describing it as an attempt to derail opposition momentum.
Campaign officials argued that an earlier ruling by a court of coordinate jurisdiction had already affirmed the legality of the party's leadership structure. They maintained that a subsequent ruling cannot simply displace an existing judicial determination without appellate scrutiny.
Campaign spokespersons also alleged that external political interests sought to disrupt their nationwide voter consultations following a campaign launch in Sokoto State.
Party organizers stressed that nationwide town hall meetings and mobilization drives would continue as scheduled while lawyers pursue judicial remedies.
Next Steps at the Appellate Court
The immediate trajectory of the dispute now rests with the Court of Appeal.
Judicial analysts note that filing a notice of appeal does not automatically halt the enforcement of a high court judgment without an explicit stay order from the bench.
Both the party leadership and electoral regulators await the outcome of the impending stay motion, which will determine the status of affected candidates ahead of statutory campaign deadlines.
