Nigerian court voids Atiku Abubakar's presidential candidacy
A Federal High Court ruling has invalidated the nomination of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar as the ADC's presidential candidate.
Nigeria's Federal High Court on November 5, 2026, nullified the leadership of the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC) party, including the nomination of its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar. The court ruled that the party's interim leadership, headed by David Mark, was unlawfully constituted. This decision came after a challenge by Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former ADC deputy chairman, who argued that Mark and others were not elected at a national convention.
The ruling throws Abubakar's seventh presidential bid into uncertainty ahead of the January 16 elections. The ADC, which had aimed to unite opposition forces against President Bola Tinubu, is now embroiled in a leadership dispute. Abubakar, who served as vice-president from 1999 to 2007, had joined the ADC in 2025 along with other politicians disillusioned with the Peoples Democratic Party.
The Mark faction plans to appeal the judgment, asserting that a previous court ruling in July had addressed leadership issues favorably. However, the differing legal arguments and plaintiffs in the two cases mean the relationship between the judgments requires further judicial review. The Supreme Court had previously ordered an expedited hearing at the Federal High Court.
Why it mattersAtiku Abubakar's presidential candidacy is in doubt, potentially affecting the main opposition's challenge in the upcoming elections.