Nigerian court invalidates Abubakar’s nomination as candidate — BBC News

Nigeria’s Federal High Court in Abuja has invalidated the nomination of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as the presidential candidate of the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC). The court also removed the party’s leadership. BBC News reports.

The ruling was issued on Thursday by Judge Peter Lifu. Nigeria’s presidential election is scheduled for January 16, and Abubakar is one of the expected main challengers to incumbent President Bola Tinubu.

Dispute over ADC leadership

The lawsuit was filed by former ADC national deputy chairman Nafiu Bala Gombe. He argued in court that former Senate President David Mark and other politicians could not lead the party because they had not been elected at a national convention.

Mark became interim chairman of the ADC after several influential politicians joined the party in 2025, dissatisfied with internal conflicts in the People’s Democratic Party. Among them was Abubakar, who served as Nigeria’s vice president from 1999 to 2007.

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The Federal High Court had previously considered the dispute over the ADC leadership. In July, Judge Musa Liman ruled that Mark had been elected in accordance with the country’s laws and the party’s constitution. Abubakar said the new lawsuit raises serious legal issues because it concerns a dispute that has already been decided by a court.

Party prepares an appeal

The ADC said it would challenge the ruling in the Court of Appeal. The party described the verdict as an attempt to weaken the opposition and obstruct Abubakar’s candidacy.

The 79-year-old politician himself said he would continue taking part in the election. At the same time, the electoral commission has already published the final list of candidates: Abubakar is listed as the ADC candidate, with former Rivers State governor Rotimi Amaechi as his running mate.

Another leading presidential candidate, Peter Obi, said he was shocked by the court’s ruling. He called for opposition parties not to be weakened ahead of the general elections. Obi had previously briefly joined the ADC but later moved to the Nigerian Democratic Congress, in particular because of legal disputes within the ADC.