The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has taken a swipe at former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar following the Federal High Court judgment nullifying the David Mark-led leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Keyamo, while reacting to the judgment, maintained that the law is determined by facts and evidence rather than political sentiments, emotions or public outrage.
In a post on his social media handle, titled, “Justice may be slow, but it is always SURE!”, the minister accused the Mark-led faction of attempting to take over the ADC without following the constitutional procedures governing the party.
He argued that those involved in the leadership dispute could not blame the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for the legal consequences of their alleged failure to comply with the party’s constitution.
“You cannot invade a political Party owned and built by Nigerians, hijack it with the connivance of a so-called National Chairman without a PRIOR meeting and approval of a mini National Convention or the National Executive Committee and hope to bluff your way out of such a brazen act by blaming and blackmailing the ruling Party for a misfortune deliberately stocked by you,” Keyamo wrote.
The minister added that the law was not determined by sentiments or public outrage.
“Sorry, but the law is decided on facts and evidence, rather than sentiments and outrage by a group of people,” he stated.
Keyamo further argued that democracy should not be considered under threat only when Atiku Abubakar is contesting for the presidency, insisting that the ADC remained a political party with other legitimate members and leaders.
“It is not only when a certain ATIKU ABUBAKAR contest the Presidency that democracy is not in danger. The ADC as a Party is well and alive and populated by people and original leaders who are NO LESS Nigerians than a David Mark and his illegal band of marauders,” he added.
The minister’s reaction followed a ruling by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court, who declared the David Mark-led Caretaker Committee of the ADC illegal and invalidated its actions.
The judgment also affected the emergence of former Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, as the party’s National Secretary, the appointments of other national officers and the nomination of candidates under the disputed leadership for the 2027 general elections.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025, was instituted by Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former ADC Deputy National Chairman (North-East), who challenged the process through which Mark and other members of the caretaker committee assumed control of the party.
Gombe argued that following the resignation of the party’s former National Chairman, Ralph Nwosu, he was constitutionally entitled to assume the leadership position.
He subsequently approached the court to challenge the legitimacy of the Mark-led leadership and sought an order restraining Mark and Aregbesola from parading themselves as the party’s National Chairman and National Secretary, respectively.
Upholding Gombe’s case, Justice Lifu held that the emergence of the Mark-led leadership violated the ADC constitution, relevant provisions of the Electoral Act and the 1999 Constitution.
The ruling has thrown the ADC’s preparations for the 2027 general elections into uncertainty, particularly the status of the presidential primary that produced Atiku Abubakar as the party’s flag bearer and other political arrangements made under the nullified leadership.
