Ex- Vice President Atiku Abubakar has said Nigeria’s 2027 general election should be decided by voters at the ballot box rather than through court rulings, following the Court of Appeal’s decision overturning a Federal High Court judgment that sought to deregister the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and other political parties.
In a statement issued on Tuesday by his media office in Abuja, Atiku welcomed the appellate court’s ruling, describing it as a victory for constitutional democracy, the rule of law, and the independence of the judiciary.
He congratulated the Justices of the Court of Appeal for what he called their courage, fidelity to the Constitution, and commitment to justice, adding that the judgment had strengthened public confidence in Nigeria’s judicial system. 
“As the nation advances towards the 2027 general elections, political contests must be decided by the votes of Nigerians—not by contrived lawsuits seeking to achieve in the courtroom what cannot be won at the ballot box,” Atiku said.
According to the statement, the appellate court’s decision, together with an earlier judgment by Justice Liman of the Federal High Court in Abuja affirming the Senator David Mark-led National Executive Committee of the ADC, has effectively resolved all legal disputes challenging the party’s leadership ahead of the 2027 elections.
The former vice president said the rulings have firmly established the ADC’s legal status to participate in the next general election without further uncertainty.
The statement explained that the Court of Appeal declared the June 15 judgment delivered by Justice Peter Lifu a nullity, ruling that it was issued in violation of an existing order of the appellate court. It further held that the respondents lacked the legal standing to institute the suit, describing their claims as speculative and without legal merit.
Atiku also noted that the appellate court clarified the interpretation of Section 225A of the Constitution, holding that the provision should be read disjunctively rather than conjunctively.
The court further ruled that the case was filed prematurely because the Osun and Ekiti election cycles were still ongoing at the time the action commenced.
He added that the appellate court criticised the trial court for disregarding unchallenged affidavit evidence presented by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which confirmed that the ADC and the other affected political parties had complied with all constitutional and statutory requirements.
“Having accepted INEC’s evidence, the lower court had no legal basis to manufacture additional conditions in order to arrive at what the Court of Appeal rightly described as a perverse decision,” he said.
Atiku argued that the judgment goes beyond the fortunes of a single political party, saying it reinforces democratic values by protecting the right of Nigerians to freely choose their leaders through elections.
“The strength of a democracy lies not in the exclusion of political opponents but in allowing the people to freely determine their leaders through the ballot,” he stated.
He also warned against using the judiciary and other state institutions as political tools to undermine opponents, saying such actions could erode public trust in democratic institutions and weaken Nigeria’s constitutional order.
“The judiciary must never be transformed into a battlefield for eliminating political competitors or shrinking the democratic space,” Atiku warned.
He concluded by expressing appreciation to the Court of Appeal justices for what he described as a courageous, impartial, and constitutionally grounded judgment, insisting that the ruling reaffirmed the supremacy of the rule of law over political expediency.
