The Federal High Court in Abuja has nullified the leadership structure of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) under Senator David Mark, invalidating decisions taken by the party’s caretaker committee, including the process that produced former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as its presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections.
The judgment was delivered on Thursday by Justice Peter Lifu.
The court ruled that the caretaker committee led by Mark, which oversaw the party’s activities and conducted its presidential primary, was not legally constituted.
The judgment followed a suit instituted by Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former National Deputy Chairman of the ADC for the north-east, who challenged the emergence of Mark as the party’s national chairman and Rauf Aregbesola as national secretary.
Gombe had argued that he was entitled to assume leadership of the party following the resignation of its former National Chairman, Chief Ralph Nwosu. He also maintained that the emergence of Mark and Aregbesola violated the ADC constitution and the Electoral Act.
The plaintiff subsequently approached the court seeking to invalidate decisions taken by the Mark-led leadership and restrain both men from presenting themselves as the party’s national officers.
The suit, filed as FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025, listed the ADC, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mark, Aregbesola, and Nwosu as defendants.
Justice Lifu upheld Gombe’s arguments and granted the reliefs sought in the case, invalidating the activities and decisions of the party’s caretaker committee.
Atiku had already been listed by INEC as the ADC’s presidential candidate for the forthcoming election, with former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi selected as his running mate.
The court ruling comes a day after Atiku held a campaign rally in Sokoto State as part of his preparations for the presidential contest.
Meanwhile, the ADC has rejected the outcome of the case and announced plans to challenge the judgment at the appellate court.
