A Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday sacked the Senator David Mark-led leadership of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, and wiped out everything they did while in charge — including the nomination of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as the party’s presidential candidate.
Justice Peter Lifu delivered the judgment that has now thrown the ADC into fresh confusion, barely months to the presidential election scheduled for January 16, 2027.
Atiku, whose name had already been published by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, as the ADC presidential candidate, had even gone ahead to pick a former Governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, as his running mate.
All of that now hangs in the balance.
The court held that the Caretaker Committee led by Senator Mark, which organised the primary election that produced Atiku, was illegal from the start.
The case was filed by a man who felt he was sidelined in the whole power struggle — Nafiu Bala Gombe, the former National Deputy Chairman, North-East, of the ADC.
Gombe went to court to challenge how Senator Mark and his team took over the leadership of the party after the resignation of the former National Chairman, Chief Ralph Nwosu.
His argument was simple. When Nwosu resigned, he, Gombe, as the Deputy Chairman, was the one qualified by the party’s constitution to step in and lead the party. Instead, he said, the Mark-led group took over in a manner that violated the party’s constitution and the Electoral Act.
He therefore asked the court to nullify all the actions taken on behalf of the party by the Mark-led leadership, and to stop Senator Mark and Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola from parading themselves as National Chairman and National Secretary of the party.
Listed as defendants in the suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025, were the ADC, INEC, Senator Mark, Aregbesola and Chief Nwosu.
After listening to both sides, Justice Lifu agreed with Gombe.
The court found merit in his suit, upheld his claims and granted his reliefs. In effect, the Mark-led Caretaker Committee was declared illegal, and all its decisions, including the presidential primary that produced Atiku, were invalidated.
The judgment is already generating tension within the political space, with many wondering what it means for Atiku, Amaechi and the future of the ADC ahead of 2027.
But the party is not giving up without a fight.
The ADC has already vowed to appeal the judgment.
Reacting to the verdict, the National Welfare Secretary of the party, Nkemakolam Ukandu, who was later joined as an interested party in the matter, said the party would challenge the decision at the appellate court.
For now, the battle for the soul of the ADC has moved from the party secretariat to the courtroom, and all eyes will be on the Court of Appeal to decide who truly leads the party into 2027.
