By Clement Nwabuko
ABUJA (PRECISE POST) – The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has dismissed claims that the recent Federal High Court judgment affecting the David Mark-led leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) could prevent the party from participating in the 2027 general elections.
Keyamo described such claims as misinformation, insisting that the ADC would remain on the ballot, although candidates who emerged from the faction led by former Senate President David Mark, including former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, could be excluded depending on the final decision of the Supreme Court.
The minister made the clarification in a post on his X handle on Sunday, against the backdrop of the controversial judgment delivered by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court, which dealt a major blow to the Mark-led leadership of the opposition party.
The judgment has triggered widespread reactions within the political space, particularly over its implications for the ADC’s participation in the 2027 general elections and the eligibility of candidates who emerged from the party’s primaries under the Mark-led faction.
However, Keyamo argued that the court’s decision should not be interpreted as barring the ADC as a political party from participating in the forthcoming elections.
According to him, the distinction must be made between the continued existence of the party and the legitimacy of the faction whose candidates may seek to represent it in the elections.
He maintained that while the ADC would be on the ballot, the candidacies of those who emerged through the Mark-led faction could be affected by the eventual determination of the Supreme Court.
“For the education of the public, those raising false alarm that the court judgment on ADC means the Party will not be on the ballot are spreading MISINFORMATION. The ADC WILL BE ON THE BALLOT,” Keyamo wrote.
He added that candidates produced by the David Mark faction, including Atiku Abubakar, might not make the ballot, subject to the final judgment of the Supreme Court.
The minister further challenged those criticising the judgment to explain why candidates who successfully emerged from primaries conducted under the faction associated with the original owners of the ADC should be considered less deserving than those backed by the Mark-led leadership.
“Therefore, the question we must ask those raising hell is that, are those Nigerians who successfully won their Primaries under the faction of the original owners of the ADC lesser humans or lesser Nigerians than David Mark and Atiku Abubakar?” he queried.
Keyamo’s intervention adds another dimension to the unfolding controversy surrounding the ADC leadership crisis, which has pitched the Mark-led faction against forces claiming legitimacy through the party’s original leadership structure.
The dispute has also raised critical questions about internal party democracy, the recognition of party leadership by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and the legal implications of competing party primaries ahead of the 2027 elections.
With the matter expected to proceed to the Supreme Court, the apex court’s eventual pronouncement could determine which faction has the legal authority to conduct primaries, nominate candidates and represent the ADC in the forthcoming general elections.
