Nigerian court rules opposition candidate cannot stand in elections

The high court has sacked the leadership of the opposition ADC party with only months to go until elections. This is Atiku Abubakar's seventh attempt to become Nigeria's president Nigeria's Federal High Court has sacked the leadership of the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC) party – and also ruled that the nomination of its presidential candidate, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, is invalid. A statement from the ADC said the ruling was another desperate attempt to cripple the opposition. Presidential elections are scheduled to take place on 16 January when President Bola Tinubu's main challengers are again expected to be Abubakar and former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi. Several high-profile politicians joined the ADC in 2025 – disillusioned by the factional infighting in the once powerful Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Among them were Abubakar – who had served as vice-president between 1999 and 2007 when the PDP was in power – and former Senate president David Mark. As accommodations were made for the line-up of political heavyweights, Mark took over as its interim chairman. But Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former ADC national deputy chairman, argued before the court that this was not lawful as Mark and others had not been elected at a national convention. Instead, he said, he himself should have taken over the party's leadership following the resignation of