A Federal High Court in Abuja has nullified the leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), led by former Senate President David Mark, and voided decisions made under that structure, including the emergence of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections.
Justice Peter Lifu, in a judgment delivered on Thursday, declared the Mark-led Caretaker Committee illegal and invalidated the process through which it assumed control of the opposition party and conducted its presidential primary.
The ruling also nullified the emergence of former Interior Minister Rauf Aregbesola as National Secretary and other national officers appointed under the disputed leadership.
It further affected candidates nominated by the ADC for elective positions in the 2027 elections.
The judgment followed a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025, filed by Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former Deputy National Chairman of the ADC for the North-East.
Gombe challenged the process by which Mark and other members of the caretaker leadership took control of the party after its former National Chairman, Ralph Nwosu, resigned.
He argued that, under the ADC constitution, he was entitled to assume the party’s leadership after Nwosu’s resignation.
He therefore asked the court to invalidate actions taken by the Mark-led leadership and restrain Mark and Aregbesola from presenting themselves as the party’s National Chairman and National Secretary, respectively.
The ADC, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mark, Aregbesola and Nwosu were listed as defendants in the suit.
Justice Lifu upheld Gombe’s case, finding that the emergence of the Mark-led leadership breached the ADC constitution as well as relevant provisions of the Electoral Act and the 1999 Constitution.
The court also ordered INEC not to recognise or act on decisions taken at the party’s 99th National Executive Committee meeting held on July 27, 2025.
Reacting to the judgment, counsel to Gombe, Lukman Fagbemi (SAN), said the ruling effectively annulled actions taken by the ADC under the Mark-led structure since July 27, 2025.
Fagbemi said the court found that the leadership did not emerge through lawful constitutional processes and had breached relevant provisions governing the party and political parties generally.
He added that INEC had been directed not to recognise or implement decisions reached at the 99th NEC meeting.
Another counsel for the plaintiff, Luka Musa Haruna (SAN), said the judgment followed the Supreme Court’s directive that the substantive dispute be determined by the Federal High Court.
According to Haruna, the ruling means the ADC currently has no valid candidates for the 2027 presidential, governorship, senatorial and House of Assembly elections because the nominations emanated from the leadership structure declared unlawful by the court.
The development places Atiku’s presidential nomination under immediate legal uncertainty, coming less than 24 hours after he formally commenced his 2027 campaign with a rally in Sokoto State.
Atiku’s name had previously been published by INEC as the ADC presidential candidate.
However, the ruling is not necessarily the final word on the dispute.
ADC National Welfare Secretary Nkemakolam Ukandu said the party would appeal the judgment.
