Don’t lose sleep over appeal court verdict — Atiku tells ADC supporters

Former Vice President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, Atiku Abubakar, has appealed to party members and supporters across the country to remain calm following the Court of Appeal judgment on the party’s leadership crisis, insisting that they should not “lose sleep” because the ruling did not invalidate the ADC’s primary elections for the 2027 general elections.

Reacting to Monday’s appellate court judgment, Atiku said attempts to portray the ruling as the end of the party’s 2027 presidential ambition were misleading and intended to demoralise the opposition.

In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, the former vice president urged Nigerians seeking political change to remain resolute, stressing that the judgment related only to the conduct of state congresses and the tenure of the party’s state executive committees.

“Let no supporter of the ADC lose sleep. Let no Nigerian who believes in the restoration of our country be discouraged. The struggle to rescue Nigeria has never been about one courtroom or one judgment. It is a movement born out of the collective desire of millions of Nigerians for competent leadership, economic recovery, national unity and the restoration of hope,” Mr Atiku said.

He maintained that the Court of Appeal did not nullify the ADC’s statutory primary elections conducted to nominate candidates for the 2027 polls.

According to him, there is a clear legal distinction between party congresses used to elect executives and primary elections conducted under the Electoral Act to nominate candidates for public office.

“The judgment being celebrated relates to the conduct of state congresses and the tenure of State Executive Committees. It does not, from the facts available, amount to a judicial nullification of the ADC’s primary elections conducted under the Electoral Act.

“There is a world of legal difference between the election of party executives through internal congresses and the nomination of candidates through statutory primary elections. They are distinct legal exercises, governed by different legal principles and serving different constitutional purposes,” he said.

Mr Atiku accused political opponents of deliberately misrepresenting the court’s decision to create confusion among Nigerians.

“Those celebrating today should celebrate with caution. Those attempting to sell false hope to their supporters should remember that political propaganda can never substitute for judicial pronouncements,” he stated.

He further argued that courts only determine issues brought before them and cannot pronounce on matters that were not part of the litigation.

“It is a settled principle of law that courts determine only the issues submitted before them. They neither manufacture disputes nor pronounce on matters that were never placed before them. Any attempt to stretch this judgment beyond its proper scope is an invitation to legal absurdity,” he added.

The former vice president disclosed that the ADC had already directed its legal team to challenge the judgment at the Supreme Court.

“We remain respectful of the judiciary and have already instructed our legal team to approach the Supreme Court for a definitive determination of the issues arising from the judgment. That is the proper constitutional path, and we have absolute confidence in the judicial process,” he said.

He urged party members to remain united and continue mobilising ahead of the 2027 general elections.

“We therefore urge our members across the federation to remain calm, united and focused. Stay committed to the mission. Continue mobilising. Continue organising. Continue believing. No amount of legal gymnastics or political spin can extinguish the legitimate aspirations of Nigerians for a better country.

“The road to 2027 remains open, and the resolve of the Nigerian people cannot be overturned by propaganda. Our destination remains unchanged, and by the grace of God and the will of the Nigerian people, we shall arrive,” Atiku added.

His reaction comes hours after the Court of Appeal in Abuja upheld a Federal High Court judgment restraining the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, from recognising state congresses conducted by committees appointed by the Senator David Mark-led caretaker leadership of the ADC.