A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has nullified the leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) led by former Senate President David Mark, declaring its caretaker committee illegal and invalidating decisions taken under its authority, including the nomination of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2027 general election.
The judgment was delivered on Thursday, by Justice Peter Lifu, who ruled in favour of Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former National Deputy Chairman of the ADC for the North-East, who had challenged the legitimacy of the Mark-led leadership.
The court found merit in Gombe’s case and declared the caretaker committee unlawful, effectively invalidating its decisions and actions taken on behalf of the party.
The ruling directly affects the presidential primary organised under the committee, which produced Atiku as the ADC’s flag bearer for the 2027 election.
Gombe had approached the court following the resignation of the ADC’s former National Chairman, Ralph Nwosu, arguing that he was entitled to assume the party’s leadership after Nwosu’s departure.
He challenged the process through which Mark and other members of the caretaker leadership assumed control of the party, insisting that their emergence violated the ADC constitution and relevant provisions of the Electoral Act.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025, listed the ADC, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), David Mark, Rauf Aregbesola and former national chairman Ralph Nwosu among the defendants. Gombe sought to restrain Mark and Aregbesola from presenting themselves as the party’s National Chairman and National Secretary, respectively.
The judgment represents a major setback for the Mark-led faction, which had been overseeing the party’s preparations for the 2027 general election, including the process that produced Atiku as its presidential candidate.
Atiku had been listed by INEC as the ADC’s presidential candidate and had selected former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi as his running mate, making the latest ruling a significant development for the party’s presidential campaign arrangements.
The dispute is part of a prolonged leadership crisis within the ADC, which has faced several legal challenges over the legitimacy of its national leadership, the conduct of party congresses and the authority of the caretaker committee.
In July 2026, the Court of Appeal upheld an earlier order restraining INEC from recognizing state congresses organized by committees appointed by the Mark-led leadership. That separate dispute concerned the party’s state structures and the authority to conduct congresses.
Meanwhile, the latest judgment is expected to trigger further legal and political developments within the opposition party as it seeks to resolve its leadership dispute and maintain its preparations for the 2027 elections.
The ADC’s National Welfare Secretary, Nkemakolam Ukandu, was reported to have said the party would challenge the judgment at the Court of Appeal, indicating that the legal battle over the party’s leadership is likely to continue.
The ruling leaves the ADC facing fresh uncertainty over its national leadership and the validity of decisions taken by the caretaker committee, particularly its presidential nomination process, as political parties intensify preparations for the 2027 general election.
