Following a fresh twist of things in the ongoing ADC crisis, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, has stated that the commission will remove Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), from the ballot if he fails to overturn the court judgment nullifying David Mark’s leadership of the opposition party.
Amupitan made this disclosure during a widely circulated interview at Chatham House in London.
Responding to a question on whether Atiku would be permitted to contest the 2027 presidential election should the court ruling against the party’s leadership remain standing, Amupitan stated:
“If he fails, I’m obligated to obey every court order, especially if it’s from the Supreme Court.
“The danger is that whether there is such a decision and it is up to you to implement, you become the problem. The problem is transferred to you, but that is the position of the law.”
With just 66 days remaining until the 2027 general election, he lamented that the commission is currently contending with more than 300 active legal cases.
This follows a November 5, 2026 Federal High Court judgment that invalidated David Mark’s chairmanship of the ADC—the leadership structure under which Atiku emerged as the party’s presidential flagbearer.
The court’s decision has cast uncertainty over Atiku’s eligibility to participate in the upcoming January 16 presidential poll.
In response, the David Mark-led ADC faction has pledged to challenge the ruling in court to ensure Atiku’s name remains on the ballot for the 2027 election.
Karma at work, you may not be on ballot – Olayinka mocks Atiku
Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has ridiculed African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar following an Abuja Federal High Court ruling that disqualified him from contesting the 2027 elections.
Describing the former vice president’s current predicament as “Karma at work,” Olayinka noted that Atiku now faces uncertainty over whether his name will appear on the 2027 ballot.
He recalled that four years earlier, Atiku and his associates within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) orchestrated his suspension from the party.
In a statement titled “Atiku: It is Karma at work,” Olayinka stated that his suspension was a direct result of his backing for Nyesom Wike and former Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose.
Backstory…
The warning follows a November 5, 2026, Federal High Court judgment in Abuja that nullified the leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) led by former Senate President David Mark and invalidated decisions taken under it, including the process that produced former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2027 elections.
The case was instituted by Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former ADC deputy national chairman, who challenged the emergence of the Mark-led leadership, arguing that it did not comply with the party’s constitution and relevant electoral laws.
Read Also: ADC Crisis- Atiku Abubakar Breaks Silence, Says No Court Ruling Can Keep Me off 2027 ballot
