Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has defended the Federal High Court judgment nullifying the leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) led by former Senate President David Mark and invalidating the nomination of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as the party’s 2027 presidential candidate.
Keyamo, in a post on X on Friday, said judicial decisions should be determined by facts and evidence rather than public sentiments or political pressure.
Reacting to criticisms of the judgment, the minister dismissed claims that the ruling posed a threat to democracy, insisting that Atiku’s absence from the 2027 ballot would not destabilise the country.
“You cannot abuse judges and blackmail the judiciary when it doesn’t go your way. Heavens will not fall if a certain Atiku Abubakar is not on the ballot in 2027,” he said.
Keyamo also argued that the ADC remained an existing political party with its original leaders and members, whom he described as “no less Nigerians” than those in the nullified leadership.
His comments come amid growing controversy over the court’s decision and debates about the acceptance of judicial pronouncements by political parties.
The minister also referenced previous Supreme Court judgments in Bayelsa in 2020 and Zamfara in 2019, which went against the All Progressives Congress (APC) but were accepted by the party at the time.
The ADC leadership crisis escalated on Thursday after the Federal High Court in Abuja nullified the National Working Committee led by Mark.
The ruling also invalidated the process that produced Atiku as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections.
