Festus Keyamo, Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, warned that the “heavens will not fall” if former Vice‑President Atiku Abubakar is excluded from the 2027 presidential ballot. The minister made the remark in a statement posted on his verified X handle on Friday, a day after the Federal High Court in Abuja annulled the African Democratic Congress (ADC) leadership led by David Mark and voided Atiku’s nomination as the party’s candidate.
Justice Peter Lifu delivered the judgment on Thursday, ruling that the Mark‑led caretaker committee was illegal after former deputy national chairman Nafiu Bala challenged it in court. The ruling, which struck down the ADC’s internal leadership and Atiku’s candidacy, has sparked reactions from all quarters of the country.
In his statement, Keyamo said those attacking the judgment were simply upset because it did not go their way. “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,” he wrote.
Keyamo urged Atiku to remember that the All Progressives Congress (APC) had previously lost a court case and accepted the outcome without attacking judges. He cited the 2019 Supreme Court decision that cancelled all APC victories in Zamfara State—governorship and assembly seats—handing them to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Keyamo stressed that law is based on facts and evidence, not on sentiment or noise on social media, and that the judiciary should not be abused or blackmailed when rulings do not align with political expectations.
<small>Source: Daily Post Nigeria — read the original story there.</small>
