Court sacks Mark-led ADC leadership, nullifies all party’s candidates
By Mohammed Ismail
A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has nullified the leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) National Working Committee (NWC) led by former Senate President, David Mark, in a ruling that has thrown the party’s 2027 electoral preparations into uncertainty.
The court also invalidated the emergence of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections, alongside all other nominations and decisions taken under the disputed leadership.
Delivering judgment on Thursday, Justice Peter Lifu declared the Mark-led Caretaker Committee illegal, ruling that the process through which it assumed control of the party violated the ADC constitution, relevant provisions of the Electoral Act and the 1999 Constitution.
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The judgment equally nullified the emergence of former Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, as National Secretary, as well as the appointments of other national officers produced under the caretaker arrangement.
Consequently, all candidates nominated by the party for the 2027 general elections, including those contesting presidential, governorship, senatorial and legislative seats, were affected by the ruling.
The judgment followed a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025, instituted by former ADC Deputy National Chairman (North-East), Nafiu Bala Gombe, who challenged the legality of the process that brought Mark and other members of the caretaker committee into the party’s leadership.
Gombe had argued that following the resignation of the party’s former National Chairman, Ralph Nwosu, he was constitutionally entitled to assume leadership in line with the ADC’s provisions.
He consequently approached the court to challenge the authority of Mark and his colleagues, seeking an order restraining them from parading themselves as the party’s National Chairman and National Secretary.
The ADC, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mark, Aregbesola and Nwosu were listed as defendants in the suit.
Upholding the plaintiff’s arguments, Justice Lifu ruled that the emergence of the Mark-led leadership was inconsistent with the party’s constitution and the country’s electoral and constitutional framework.
The court further directed INEC not to recognise or act on decisions reached at the ADC’s 99th National Executive Committee meeting held on July 27, 2025.
Reacting to the judgment, counsel to the plaintiff, Lukman Fagbemi (SAN), said the ruling effectively invalidated every action taken by the party under the disputed leadership since July 27, 2025.
Another lawyer to Gombe, Luka Musa Haruna (SAN), said the decision had left the ADC without recognised candidates for the 2027 elections across all elective positions.
Meanwhile, the party’s National Welfare Secretary, Nkemakolam Ukandu, who participated in the proceedings as an interested party, disclosed that the ADC would appeal the judgment.
The ruling comes at a critical moment for the opposition party, barely 24 hours after Atiku, whose name had earlier been published by INEC as a presidential candidate, held a campaign rally in Sokoto State.
