The younger brother of former governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti state, Isaac Fayose, has urged former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to abandon the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and join forces with Peter Obi to defeat the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 general elections.
Fayose made the appeal in a video shared on his verified Facebook page on Thursday, following a Federal High Court judgment that nullified the David Mark-led leadership of the ADC and the process that produced Atiku as the party’s presidential candidate.
The court, presided over by Justice Peter Lifu in Abuja, ruled that the emergence of the Mark-led caretaker committee violated the ADC constitution, the Electoral Act and the 1999 Constitution.
Reacting to the judgment, Fayose urged Atiku to examine the court’s decision, alleging that there were questionable elements in the ruling.
“Atiku should go and study that judgment very well; he will notice something fishy,” he said.
“Our judiciary is no longer independent. Look at our youths; they are more interested in online sagas,” Fayose added.
He subsequently appealed to the former vice president to align with Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), ahead of the 2027 election.
“Please, Atiku, this is the time to join forces with Peter Obi in the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, to pursue the All Progressives Congress, APC, out of power,” he said.
Meanwhile, human rights lawyer Deji Adeyanju has predicted that President Bola Tinubu would defeat Obi and his running mate, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, by more than seven million votes if Atiku is absent from the 2027 presidential ballot.
Adeyanju made the prediction in a Facebook post on Thursday while commenting on the ADC leadership crisis and the court judgment that threatens Atiku’s presidential ambition.
“Tinubu will defeat Obi/Kwankwaso with more than 7million votes if Atiku is not on the ballot. It will be a walk over from the minute Atiku is not on the ballot,” he wrote.
“Even if Atiku campaigns for Obi, Tinubu will still defeat him.”
The lawyer argued that Atiku remains the biggest threat to Tinubu’s re-election, citing the political dynamics in northern Nigeria.
According to him, voters in the region are unlikely to support Obi in the absence of Atiku.
“No section of the country is more politically knowledgeable and sophisticated than northerners. They understand politics so well,” Adeyanju said.
“Atiku is the greatest threat to Tinubu’s re-election. Everyone that understands Nigeria political history knows this. The dynamics and sentiment in northern Nigeria is not looking good for the ruling party.”
The Federal High Court had also ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to recognise decisions taken at the ADC’s 99th National Executive Committee meeting, including the process that produced Atiku as its presidential candidate.
However, the ADC has rejected the judgment and vowed to challenge it through every available judicial process, describing the ruling as an attempt to cripple the opposition.
The development has intensified uncertainty within the opposition party, with political figures warning that the judgment could affect Atiku’s participation in the 2027 presidential election.
