Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has defended the Federal High Court judgment nullifying the David Mark-led leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and invalidating the party’s nomination of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar as its presidential candidate for the 2027 election.
In a post on X on Friday, Keyamo said judicial decisions should be assessed on the basis of facts and evidence rather than public sentiment or political reactions.
He dismissed suggestions that the ruling posed a threat to democracy, insisting that political actors must respect the judiciary even when its decisions go against their interests.
“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,” he wrote.
Keyamo argued that the ADC remained a legitimate political party with its original leaders and members, whom he said were “no less Nigerians” than those associated with the now-nullified leadership.
The minister’s comments come amid renewed debate over the implications of the judgment and the response of political actors to unfavourable court decisions.
He also drew parallels with previous Supreme Court rulings in Bayelsa State in 2020 and Zamfara State in 2019, which went against the All Progressives Congress but were accepted by the party at the time.
