A Nigerian federal court on Thursday voided the nomination of opposition leader Atiku Abubakar as the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, two months before the January 16 election. The ADC says it will appeal the ruling.
According to allAfrica, the Federal High Court in Abuja ruled that the ADC leadership was illegally constituted and therefore voided Abubakar’s candidacy. France 24 also reported that a Nigerian court declared his nomination invalid.
The ruling came a day after Abubakar launched his campaign with a rally in Sokoto state, according to allAfrica.
The ADC accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of involvement in the lawsuit. ADC spokesman Bolaji Abdullahi called the ruling "another desperate attempt to cripple the opposition" and said it denied Nigerians the right to choose their leaders, according to allAfrica.
Tinubu spokesman Daniel Bwala said the APC "is not involved at all" in the suit over the party’s leadership. His denial is the only response from the ruling party reported so far.
Peter Obi, a former Anambra governor, called the ruling against Abubakar "shocking", allAfrica reported. Abubakar’s campaign, quoted by allAfrica, said the timing was "no coincidence".
Nigerians vote on January 16 to choose a successor to President Bola Tinubu. Abubakar and Obi were expected to be Tinubu’s main challengers, having come second and third in 2023.
The ADC has been involved in several lawsuits. Earlier this year, the federal government backed a separate suit over the party’s eligibility, but an appeals court overturned that ruling.
If Abubakar cannot run, the election would have no major candidate from the north, a politically sensitive issue given regional representation.
The appeal outcome and its effect on Abubakar’s candidacy before the January 16 vote remain open.
The reporting relies mainly on allAfrica and France 24. Africanews was reviewed only by its headline and a short excerpt. The ADC’s claim of APC involvement has no independent confirmation, and the plaintiffs and grounds of the suit beyond the leadership ruling have not been reported. It is also unclear how the appeal will proceed or whether Abubakar could run under another arrangement.
Sources
This article was written with AI assistance from the published reporting listed above. It is part of the World Brief daily news podcast.