Court sacks Mark-led ADC NWC, nullifies Atiku’s candidacy
The Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday nullified the leadership of the African Democratic Congress led by former Senate President David Mark and invalidated all decisions taken by the party under its leadership, including the emergence of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar as its presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections.
Justice Peter Lifu, in his judgment, declared the Mark-led Caretaker Committee illegal, nullifying the process through which it conducted the party’s presidential primary that produced Atiku as its flag bearer.
The court also nullified the emergence of former Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, as National Secretary, as well as the appointments of other national officers and the nominations of candidates presented by the party for the 2027 elections.
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 process through which Mark and other members of the caretaker committee assumed control of the party.
Gombe argued that following the resignation of the former National Chairman, Ralph Nwosu, he was constitutionally entitled to take over the party’s leadership.
He consequently asked the court to invalidate the actions of the Mark-led leadership and restrain Mark and Aregbesola from parading themselves as National Chairman and National Secretary of the party, respectively.
The ADC, the Independent National Electoral Commission, Mark, Aregbesola and Nwosu were listed as defendants in the suit.
Upholding Gombe’s case, Justice Lifu held that the emergence of the Mark-led leadership violated the ADC constitution, 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.
Speaking with journalists after the judgment, counsel for Gombe, Lukman Fagbemi (SAN), said the court had nullified all actions taken by the Mark-led leadership since July 2025 and directed INEC not to act on decisions taken at the party’s 99th NEC meeting.
He said, “The implication of what we have gotten today is that the court, having reviewed the entire facts of the case, having reviewed the clear position of the law, party’s guidelines, party’s constitution, provisions of the Electoral Act and the relevant provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, finds as a fact that they did not emerge through lawful constitutional means and that there were flagrant breaches of all the relevant provisions that we have stated.
“The implication is that INEC, which has the duty to ensure that happens in line with Section 223 of the Constitution, has now been ordered not to recognise and not to act on all the decisions taken at the 99th NEC meeting of the party on July 27, 2025.
“All the actions taken by the ADC as a party since July 27 to date stand annulled,” he said.
Another counsel for the plaintiff, Luka Musa Haruna (SAN), said the judgment followed the determination of the substantive suit after the Supreme Court directed that the matter be returned to the Federal High Court for determination.
He said the judgment effectively left the ADC without candidates for elective positions in the 2027 elections, including the presidency, governorship, Senate and House of Assembly seats.
Haruna said, “You will recall that the interlocutory aspect of this matter went up to the Supreme Court, and the Supreme Court said we should come back to the trial court so that the substantive issue would be determined.
“Today, the substantive issue has been determined, and all actions taken by the David Mark-led leadership of the ADC have been declared null and void.
“As it stands today, the ADC has no candidate from the presidential level to the House of Assembly, governorship, Senate and all other elective positions for the 2027 election. They don’t have any representation as it stands today, except you are from the camp of Nafiu Bala, who is the substantive chairman of the ADC,” Haruna said.
Meanwhile, the party’s National Welfare Secretary, Nkemakolam Ukandu, who was joined in the suit as an interested party, reportedly said the ADC would appeal the judgment.
