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Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has said Nigeria would not suffer any major consequence if the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, is excluded from the 2027 presidential election.
Keyamo made the comment in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday, as reactions continued to follow Thursday’s High Court judgment in Abuja, which removed the David Mark-led leadership of the ADC and nullified Atiku’s nomination as the party’s presidential candidate.
On February 13, 2020, when the Supreme Court nullified the victory of the APC Governorship candidate in Bayelsa State, David Lyon, a day to his swearing in (when he was in fact inspecting the stadium to be used), the APC took it with equanimity on the chin.
When the Supreme Court in 2019 stripped all the APC victorious candidates from top to bottom (Governor to House of Assembly) of their victories at the polls in Zamfara State and replaced them with the PDP candidates that all lost at the polls, this is what Atiku Abubakar said at the time.👇👇That judgment was against the ruling party. We took it on our chins.
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.
— Festus Keyamo, SAN, CON, FCIArb (UK) (@fkeyamo) November 6, 2026
The minister referenced a 2019 Supreme Court ruling that invalidated the victories of All Progressives Congress (APC) candidates in Zamfara State, from the governorship to the state House of Assembly, and declared their Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) opponents winners.
Following the judgment on May 24, 2019, Atiku, who contested that year’s presidential election on the PDP platform, welcomed the ruling and described it as a victory for the rule of law.
In a statement issued through his media adviser, Paul Ibe, the former vice-president said the delivery of justice during the holy month of Ramadan was particularly gratifying.
Keyamo questioned the opposition’s criticism of the judiciary when court decisions go against its interests, noting that the same parties had previously praised the courts when rulings favoured them.
He also recalled the Supreme Court’s February 13, 2020 decision that nullified David Lyon’s election as Bayelsa State governor, just a day before his scheduled inauguration. The ruling paved the way for PDP candidate Douye Diri, the incumbent governor, to take office.
According to Keyamo, the APC accepted the court’s decision at the time without attacking judges or questioning the judiciary’s integrity.
He argued that political actors should not resort to attacking judges or discrediting the courts whenever their preferred outcomes are not delivered.
He added that Atiku’s possible exclusion from the 2027 ballot would not bring the country to a standstill.
“You cannot abuse judges and blackmail the judiciary when it doesn’t go your way,” he said.
“Heavens WILL NOT FALL IF A CERTAIN ATIKU ABUBAKAR IS NOT ON THE BALLOT IN 2027.”
In Thursday’s ruling, Justice Peter Lifu declared the Mark-led ADC caretaker committee illegal and ruled in favour of Nafiu Bala, a former national deputy chairman of the party for the North-East.
The judge also nullified decisions taken by the caretaker committee, including Atiku’s nomination as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2027 general election.
In an earlier response to the judgment, Keyamo said court decisions were determined by facts and evidence rather than public sentiment or outrage.
He also accused Atiku and the Mark-led leadership of attempting to take control of the ADC without following the party’s established processes, warning that such actions could have legal consequences.
