Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and other opposition figures react to a Federal High Court judgment directing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and four other political parties. Multiple outlets report that the ADC and allied leaders reject the ruling and argue it threatens democratic processes ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections. Atiku describes the order as an attack on constitutional democracy and characterizes it as part of a broader effort to weaken or eliminate political opposition. Vanguard and Daily Post also report that other prominent opposition figures express dissatisfaction with the verdict and say they intend to remain on the ballot.
The parties’ responses focus on alleged flaws in the judgment and concerns about the court’s approach. Daily Post further quotes Atiku’s media aide, Paul Ibe, accusing the presiding judge, Justice Peter Lifu, of acting in ways that could sabotage democracy. While the reporting consistently centers on the same court directive to INEC, the outlets differ mainly in the emphasis on who criticized the ruling and the specific claims about the motives or implications of the decision.
