Nigerian court nullifies Atiku Abubakar's presidential candidacy
The ruling, two months before the 16 January election, follows a leadership dispute within the African Democratic Congress. The party will appeal.
The Federal High Court in Abuja has declared invalid the nomination of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar as presidential candidate of the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC), barely two months before Nigeria's general election on 16 January.
According to Nigerian media, the court overturned the leadership of the party under David Mark, who has been in dispute with Nafiu Bala Gombe over control of the ADC. Mr Abubakar's nomination, made under Mr Mark's leadership, was set aside as a consequence.
The ADC, one of the principal parties seeking to unseat President Bola Tinubu, said it would appeal. Its spokesman, Bolaji Abdullahi, described the decision as "another desperate attempt to cripple the opposition and deny Nigerians the right to choose their leaders". The presidential spokesman, Daniel Bwala, said the ruling All Progressives Congress was "not involved at all" in the case.
"The timing of this judgment is no coincidence," Mr Abubakar said, a day after launching his campaign in Sokoto State. "We should continue with the campaign." Peter Obi, the candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, described the ruling as "shocking". Mr Obi's party separately alleged that its meetings in Abuja were being disrupted through last-minute hotel cancellations, which the government denied.
Should Mr Abubakar be unable to stand, the election would lack a major candidate from the north, a sensitive development in a country where regional balance carries great political weight. In 2023, EU observers noted that "excessive pre-election litigation", involving at least 1,200 court cases, risked undermining trust in the democratic process. Mr Abubakar finished second in that election.