We won’t lose sleep, Atiku rallies ADC supporters, insists primaries valid

Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate for the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and former Vice President, has strongly refuted claims that a recent Court of Appeal judgment invalidates the party's primary elections for the 2027 general election. Abubakar asserts that the ruling is narrowly focused on the conduct of the party's state congresses and the tenure of its state executives, and does not affect candidates who emerged through direct primaries.

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Those celebrating today should celebrate with caution. Those attempting to sell false hope to their supporters should remember that political propaganda can never substitute for judicial pronouncements.

In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Abubakar characterized attempts to portray the judgment as a collapse of the ADC's presidential ticket as political propaganda aimed at misleading the public and weakening the opposition. He urged party members and supporters to maintain composure, emphasizing the legal distinction between the election of party executives through internal congresses and the nomination of candidates through statutory primary elections.

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The judgment being celebrated relates to the conduct of state congresses and the tenure of State Executive Committees. It does not, from the facts available, amount to a judicial nullification of the ADC’s primary elections conducted under the Electoral Act.

Abubakar further criticized the misrepresentation of the judgment on social media, stating that courts are bound to rule only on the issues presented before them. He argued that any attempt to extend the judgment's scope beyond its intended application would be legally absurd. "Our opponents appear more eager to write judgments on social media than to read the one delivered by the Court of Appeal," the statement read, underscoring his view that the situation is being distorted for political gain.

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There is a world of legal difference between the election of party executives through internal congresses and the nomination of candidates through statutory primary elections. They are distinct legal exercises, governed by different legal principles and serving different constitutional purposes. One should not be confused with the other.

The former vice president stressed that Nigeria operates under the rule of law, not under the influence of sensational headlines or the manipulations of political opportunists. His remarks aim to reassure ADC supporters and counter narratives that seek to undermine the party's electoral prospects based on a potentially misinterpreted court decision.

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It is a settled principle of law that courts determine only the issues submitted before them. They neither manufacture disputes nor pronounce on matters that were never placed before them. Any attempt to stretch this judgment beyond its proper scope is an invitation to legal absurdity.