Reuters, The Associated Press and Nigeria’s Channels Television independently reported the Nov. 5 Federal High Court ruling and its effect on the ADC primary that selected Atiku Abubakar. Channels reported the judge, case number and election date. We could not retrieve a certified copy of the judgment, so the article attributes its scope to those reports and does not assess the court’s reasoning beyond their accounts. Premium Times reported that Atiku’s campaign lawyers were preparing to seek a stay; this report could not confirm a filed appeal, a stay order or a subsequent appellate decision. The event-search review found current Reuters and AP photographs offered through licensing pages but no open reuse grant. The images here are separately licensed archive photographs of Abuja civic buildings, not scenes of the 2026 case, campaign or parliamentary proceedings. Lead: Federal High Court Complex, photographed Oct. 31, 2018 by Ovinuchi Prince Ejiohuo. Original 6,720 × 4,480 JPEG retained at public/newsroom/source-originals/nigeria-atiku-adc-2026/federal-high-court-abuja-2018-original.jpg; proportionally resized to 1,800 × 1,200 and converted to WebP at quality 86 with metadata removed, no crop or content retouching. Inline: National Assembly Building, photographed May 15, 2018 by Kabusa16. Original 5,760 × 3,840 JPEG retained at public/newsroom/source-originals/nigeria-atiku-adc-2026/national-assembly-abuja-2018-original.jpg; proportionally resized to 1,800 × 1,200 and converted to WebP at quality 86 with metadata removed, no crop or content retouching. Both source works and derivatives are CC BY-SA 4.0; attribution, license link, modification notice and share-alike terms are retained.
The court set aside the process behind the ticket
A Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday invalidated the leadership process and decisions of Nigeria’s opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC), including the primary that selected former vice president Atiku Abubakar as its 2027 presidential candidate. The order puts his party nomination in jeopardy less than three months before the vote.
The case was brought by Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former ADC national deputy chairman, who challenged the way a caretaker committee led by former Senate President David Mark took control of the party. Channels Television reported that Justice Peter Lifu found merit in the challenge and set aside decisions made under that leadership. Reuters and AP independently reported that the order voided Abubakar’s nomination.
The next step is an appeal, not a settled ballot outcome
Abubakar won the ADC ticket in May. The party rejected Thursday’s ruling as politically motivated and said it would appeal. That accusation is the party’s position, not a finding established by the court reporting reviewed here.
Premium Times reported that Abubakar’s campaign lawyers were preparing to seek a stay of execution, which would temporarily suspend enforcement if a court granted it. This review did not confirm that an appeal or stay request had been filed, or that a stay had been issued. No appellate outcome was reported by publication.
Why the ruling matters before January
Nigeria’s presidential election is scheduled for Jan. 16, 2027, according to Channels Television. Abubakar was runner-up in 2023 and had been one of the leading challengers to President Bola Tinubu, who has launched his own re-election campaign, Reuters reported.
The decision affects the legal process that produced the ADC’s nominee; it does not decide the national election or resolve the party’s appeal. Until a higher court changes or suspends the order, the validity of the ADC ticket remains uncertain.
Sources
4 references
- ReutersNigerian court voids candidacy of opposition ADC’s Atiku for 2027 electionIndependent reporting on the Federal High Court ruling, the challenge to the party leadership and the ADC’s stated plan to appeal. · 2026-11-05
- The Associated PressNigerian court nullifies presidential contender’s candidacy 2 months before electionIndependent reporting confirming the Abuja court’s decision, the party’s stated appeal plan and the election context. · 2026-11-05
- Channels TelevisionCourt Sacks Mark-Led ADC Exco, Voids Atiku’s CandidacyNigerian reporting identifying Justice Peter Lifu, the suit and the scope of the order as reported by the broadcaster. · 2026-11-05
- Premium TimesAtiku vows to appeal court judgement against his candidacy, seeks stay of executionFollow-up reporting on the campaign’s stated plan to appeal and seek interim relief; the outlet says it had not independently examined the enrolled orders. · 2026-11-05
