Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has dismissed concerns over the possible exclusion of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar from the 2027 presidential election, saying Nigeria would not suffer if he failed to make the ballot.
Keyamo spoke on Friday while reacting to the Federal High Court judgment that nullified the leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) led by former Senate President David Mark and invalidated the process that produced Atiku as the party's presidential candidate.
In a post on his X account, the minister faulted attempts to discredit the judiciary over decisions that do not favour particular political interests, arguing that court rulings should be judged on the basis of evidence and established facts.
He said politicians and their supporters should refrain from attacking judges or attempting to intimidate the judiciary whenever judgments go against them.
“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,” Keyamo stated.
He also maintained that the ADC remained a legitimate political party, arguing that its original leaders and members had as much right to participate in the country's political process as those whose leadership had been nullified by the court.
The minister's intervention comes amid heightened political tension following the court's decision, which has thrown the ADC's leadership and preparations for the 2027 general election into uncertainty.
The controversy has also brought renewed attention to the attitude of political parties towards judicial decisions, particularly when such rulings affect their electoral fortunes.
The Supreme Court judgments in the 2019 Zamfara governorship election and the 2020 Bayelsa governorship election have featured prominently in the debate. Both decisions went against the APC, although the party accepted the outcomes at the time.
In the latest development, the Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday nullified the National Working Committee led by Mark, dealing a major blow to the faction's claim to the party's leadership.
The judgment also invalidated the process that produced Atiku as the ADC's presidential candidate for the 2027 election, raising fresh questions about the former vice-president's political platform and the party's ability to sustain its preparations for the polls.
The development comes as opposition parties face the challenge of building a united political front against the ruling APC ahead of the next general election.
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