INEC Clarifies Position on Court Judgement Nullifying Atiku’s Candidacy
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has clarified its position on the Federal High Court judgement nullifying the leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the nomination of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections.
The commission said it had yet to receive the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the judgement and had consequently not taken any decision on its implementation.
This clarification followed reports circulating on social media claiming that INEC had removed the names of Atiku and his running mate, Rotimi Amaechi, from its portal following the court ruling.
However, a check on the commission’s portal by our reporter on Friday showed that the names of the ADC candidates were still listed, contrary to the claims making the rounds online.
Speaking on the development, INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee (IVEC), Malam Mohammed Kudu Haruna, said the commission had not received the court judgement and had not deliberated on the matter.
Haruna questioned the source of the reports claiming that INEC had acted on the ruling, insisting that the commission could not implement a judgement it had not officially received.
“I don’t know where that statement came from. Somebody just forwarded it to me. We haven’t received the judgment yet,” he said.
He explained that obtaining a Certified True Copy of a court judgement usually takes time, noting that the commission needed to officially receive the document before taking any action.
“Usually, it takes about a week for you to get a CTC of the tribunal,” he said.
The INEC commissioner further disclosed that the commission had not held any meeting to discuss the judgement, stressing that its position would be guided by the appropriate judicial process.
The clarification comes amid controversy surrounding a Federal High Court judgement delivered on Thursday by Justice Peter Lifu in Abuja, which nullified the leadership of the ADC led by former Senate President David Mark.
The court also invalidated actions taken by the disputed leadership, including the process that produced Atiku as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections.
The judgement followed a suit instituted by Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former ADC Deputy National Chairman, North-East, who challenged the emergence of the Mark-led leadership.
Gombe had argued that following the resignation of the party’s former National Chairman, Ralph Nwosu, he was constitutionally entitled to assume leadership of the ADC.
He consequently approached the court to challenge the authority of the Mark-led executives and sought an order nullifying decisions taken under their leadership.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025, listed the ADC, INEC, David Mark, Rauf Aregbesola and Ralph Nwosu as defendants.
In its ruling, the court held that the process through which the Mark-led leadership emerged did not comply with the requirements for democratic elections under the relevant provisions of the Electoral Act.
It consequently nullified the actions of the disputed leadership, including the nomination of candidates presented by the party to INEC for the 2027 elections.
Meanwhile, INEC had also disowned a separate publication circulating on social media which claimed that the commission had reaffirmed the David Mark-led leadership of the ADC.
The publication, which featured the commission’s logo and the image of its National Commissioner, Mohammed Haruna, was described as unauthorised.
In a statement published on its verified social media platforms on Friday, the electoral commission said it had not issued any such reaffirmation.
“For the avoidance of doubt, INEC has issued no such reaffirmation,” the commission stated.
It urged Nigerians to disregard the publication and obtain information about its activities only through its official and verified communication channels.
