The Federal High Court in Abuja has nullified the leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) led by former Senate President David Mark, invalidating decisions taken by the party’s caretaker leadership, including the nomination of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar as its presidential candidate for the 2027 general election.
Justice Peter Lifu delivered the judgment on Thursday in a suit filed by Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former Deputy National Chairman of the party, North-East, who challenged the process through which Mark and other members of the caretaker committee assumed control of the ADC.
The court declared the Mark-led caretaker committee illegal, ruling that its emergence violated provisions of the party’s constitution, the Electoral Act and the 1999 Constitution.
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The judgment also affected the emergence of former Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, as National Secretary, as well as other national officers appointed under the disputed leadership.
According to lawyers representing Gombe, the court invalidated decisions taken by the Mark-led leadership, including the nomination of candidates for the 2027 elections at the presidential, governorship and legislative levels.
Counsel to the plaintiff, Lukman Fagbemi (SAN), said after the judgment that all actions taken by the ADC under the disputed leadership since July 27, 2025, had been annulled.
Another lawyer representing Gombe, Luka Musa Haruna (SAN), said the ruling left the party without valid candidates for the forthcoming elections.
The dispute originated from the resignation of the ADC’s former National Chairman, Ralph Nwosu, and the subsequent emergence of Mark and other political figures as members of the party’s caretaker leadership.
Gombe argued that following Nwosu’s resignation, he was constitutionally entitled to assume the party’s leadership in his capacity as a former deputy national chairman.
He subsequently approached the court, seeking to invalidate the caretaker committee’s actions and restrain Mark and Aregbesola from presenting themselves as the party’s National Chairman and National Secretary.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025, listed the ADC, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mark, Aregbesola and Nwosu as defendants.
The court also directed INEC not to recognise or act on decisions taken at the party’s 99th National Executive Committee meeting held on July 27, 2025.
The judgment represents another major development in the ADC’s prolonged leadership crisis, which has generated several legal disputes ahead of the 2027 elections.
In July, the Court of Appeal upheld restrictions preventing INEC from recognising state congresses organised by committees appointed by the Mark-led caretaker leadership. The appellate court’s decision was delivered by a two-member majority in a split judgment.
Separately, the Federal High Court had in July dismissed another challenge to Mark’s leadership, holding that the process through which he and Aregbesola emerged complied with the party’s constitution and relevant laws. That case was instituted by House of Representatives member Leke Abejide and was distinct from Gombe’s suit.
The latest judgment came barely a day after Atiku held a presidential campaign rally in Sokoto State as part of his preparations for the 2027 election.
Atiku had earlier been listed by INEC as the ADC’s presidential candidate and subsequently selected former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi as his running mate.
Reacting to Thursday’s ruling, ADC National Welfare Secretary Nkemakolam Ukandu, who was joined in the proceedings as an interested party, said the party would appeal the judgment.
The planned appeal means the legal battle over the ADC’s leadership and the validity of decisions taken under the Mark-led committee may continue as political parties prepare for the 2027 general elections.
