INEC Chairman Joash Amupitan has explained why the commission has yet to make a decision on Atiku Abubakar and the ADC ahead of the 2027 elections.
The electoral commission says it has not received the certified court judgment affecting the David Mark-led leadership of the opposition party.
The development follows a Federal High Court ruling in Abuja that nullified the ADC caretaker leadership and its decisions, including Atiku’s presidential nomination.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has broken its silence on the uncertainty surrounding former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s 2027 presidential ambition under the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, said on Monday, November 9, 2026, that the commission was yet to receive the certified true copy of the court judgment affecting the party’s leadership. He explained that INEC could not act on reports circulating on social media without officially authenticated court documents.
Why INEC is yet to decide Atiku’s political fate
Amupitan made the clarification while responding to media enquiries about the implications of the court ruling for the ADC and Atiku’s participation in the 2027 presidential election.
According to him, the electoral body must first obtain the official judgment before determining its next line of action.
The INEC chairman made its position clear, stressing that the commission would not base its decisions on unverified information circulating online.
“On ADC/Atiku: as of today, we have not received the Certified True Copy of the court judgment and we don’t act based on what we see on the social media,” Amupitan said.
His comments suggest that INEC is waiting for the necessary legal documents before taking any position on the leadership dispute and its possible consequences for the party’s political activities.
What the court decided about David Mark-led ADC
The development follows a Federal High Court judgment in Abuja delivered by Justice Peter Lifu on Thursday
The court ruled against the caretaker leadership of the ADC led by former Senate President David Mark, declaring the committee illegal and invalidating decisions taken under its leadership.
These decisions reportedly included Atiku’s nomination as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2027 general election.
The case was brought by Nafiu Bala Gombe, the party’s former national deputy chairman for the North-East.
Gombe challenged the process through which the Mark-led committee assumed control of the party following the resignation of its former national chairman, Ralph Nwosu.
He argued that he was qualified to take over the party’s leadership after Nwosu’s departure and asked the court to nullify decisions made by the caretaker committee.
Meanwhile, Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has insisted that he will remain in the 2027 presidential race despite a recent court ruling.
Atiku urged Nigerians not to lose hope, declaring that no political pressure or court manoeuvre would make him abandon his ambition.
In a statement issued in Sokoto on November 6, 2026, he criticised President Bola Tinubu’s government and called for a free and fair election.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has broken his silence on the possibility of quitting the 2027 presidential race following a recent court ruling, telling his supporters not to lose hope.
Atiku declared that he was not going anywhere and insisted that Nigerians must be allowed to decide their next president through a free and fair election.
Atiku speaks on quitting 2027 presidential race
In a statement released in Sokoto on Friday, November 6, Atiku maintained that the latest court ruling should not be mistaken for the decision of Nigerians.
The former vice president insisted that neither political pressure nor legal battles would force him to abandon his supporters or his presidential ambition.
He also accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of using different political tactics to weaken opposition parties and create conditions that could threaten Nigeria’s multi-party democracy. Continue reading here.
New to NewsFlashNGR? Follow us for breaking global and African news.
