INEC will obey the courts on Atiku's 2027 candidacy, chairman says — but Atiku's camp demands answers on two conflicting judgments

Photo: INEC Chairman Prof. Joash Amupitan · Photo: Daily Post (FILE PHOTO — Amupitan, not Atiku)

The man running the election was asked whether the main opposition candidate can even be on the ballot — and his answer drew a public challenge pointing to two judges saying opposite things.

INEC Chairman Prof. Joash Amupitan said at Chatham House in London on Thursday, 12 November, that the commission will obey any court ruling on whether former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar can contest the 2027 presidential election as the African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate.

Asked whether Atiku could stand if the judgment nullifying the ADC leadership remained in force, he said: “If he eventually fails, well, I'm obligated under Section 285 of the Constitution of Nigeria to obey every court order, especially if it is from the Supreme Court.” He also disclosed that INEC faces more than 300 pending court cases, warning that prolonged litigation could disrupt preparations for the 2027 general election.

Atiku's camp pushed back on Friday: his media adviser, Paul Ibe, posted on X demanding that INEC explain how it intends to reconcile two conflicting Federal High Court judgments — Justice Musa Liman's 2 July 2026 judgment upholding the David Mark-led ADC leadership, and Justice Peter Lifu's 5 November 2026 judgment nullifying that leadership and the process that produced Atiku as the party's presidential candidate.

Ibe argued that since both judges sit in the same Federal High Court, neither has appellate jurisdiction over the other, and demanded INEC identify the specific orders it considers binding. “We are not asking INEC Nigeria to disregard any court order. We are demanding an approach that accounts for both judgments and leaves the resolution of any conflict to the appropriate appellate court,” he said. The ADC has vowed to challenge the Lifu judgment at the Court of Appeal and applied for a stay of execution; an ADC lawyer, Kalu Kalu, argues the judgment did not expressly cancel Atiku's candidacy. Whether Atiku can contest remains undecided — the appeal has not been heard.

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