The Federal High Court in Abuja has nullified the leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) under former Senate President David Mark, invalidated the party’s presidential ticket held by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and voided the nominations of all candidates presented by the party for the 2027 general elections.
Delivering judgment on Thursday, Justice Peter Lifu declared the Mark-led Caretaker Committee, which conducted the party’s presidential primary that produced Atiku as its flag bearer, illegal.
The court also sacked the party’s national officers, including former Osun State Governor and National Secretary, Rauf Aregbesola, ruling that the emergence of the leadership violated the ADC constitution and relevant provisions of the Electoral Act.
The judgment followed a suit instituted by Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former Deputy National Chairman of the ADC (North-East), who challenged the process through which Mark and other members assumed control of the party.
Gombe had argued that following the resignation of former National Chairman Ralph Nwosu, he was constitutionally entitled to assume the party’s leadership. He consequently asked the court to invalidate all decisions and actions taken by the Mark-led leadership.
Granting the plaintiff’s prayers, Justice Lifu directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to recognise resolutions reached at the ADC’s 99th National Executive Committee meeting held on July 27, 2025, or subsequent decisions, including the nomination of candidates for the 2027 elections.
The ruling effectively leaves the ADC without recognised candidates for the presidential, governorship, National Assembly and State Assembly elections, pending the outcome of any appeal.
If upheld by higher courts, the decision could deal a major blow to the ADC, which has emerged as a prominent opposition coalition platform seeking to challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2027.
ADC VOWS TO APPEAL
Reacting to the judgment, Gombe’s lawyer, Lukman Fagbemi, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), told journalists that all actions taken by the ADC leadership from July 27, 2025, to date had been nullified.
Another Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Luka Haruna, said the judgment meant the party currently had no valid candidates for any elective position in the 2027 general elections.
However, the ADC’s Welfare Secretary, Nkemakolam Ukandu, announced that the party would challenge the judgment at the appellate court.
The dispute is expected to proceed through the appellate process, potentially reaching the Supreme Court for a final determination before the 2027 general elections.
HOW THE ADC LEADERSHIP CRISIS STARTED
The crisis followed the influx of prominent politicians into the ADC in 2025, including David Mark, Rauf Aregbesola, Atiku Abubakar, former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai and former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi.
The politicians, who defected largely from the APC and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), adopted the ADC as a coalition platform to challenge President Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.
The party’s leadership crisis intensified following the resignation of its former executives led by Ralph Nwosu and the emergence of a new National Working Committee headed by Mark on July 29, 2025.
Gombe subsequently approached the Federal High Court, seeking recognition as the party’s legitimate leader under its constitution.
During the legal battle, the Federal High Court initially ordered parties to maintain the status quo pending the determination of the substantive suit.
The dispute later travelled to the Court of Appeal, which directed the parties, including INEC, to maintain the existing status quo while the matter remained unresolved.
INEC subsequently removed the names of Mark and Aregbesola from its website on April 1, 2026, explaining that it would not recognise either faction until the courts resolved the leadership dispute.
The Mark-led faction challenged the appellate court’s decision at the Supreme Court.
On April 30, 2026, the Supreme Court ordered the Federal High Court to conclude proceedings on the substantive case and set aside the Court of Appeal’s status quo order.
The latest judgment by Justice Lifu now represents a significant development in the protracted leadership crisis, with the ADC’s political future and its participation in the 2027 general elections hanging on the outcome of the anticipated appeal.
Courtesy: Lagos Panorama
