The Federal High Court in Abuja has sacked the Senator David Mark-led executives of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and nullified all actions taken by the leadership on behalf of the party.
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The affected decisions include the nomination of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections.
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Atiku, whose name had earlier been published by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as a presidential candidate, has since selected former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi as his running mate.
In a judgment delivered on Thursday, Justice Peter Lifu declared the Senator Mark-led Caretaker Committee of the ADC illegal. The committee had organised the primary election that produced Atiku as the party’s presidential flag bearer.
The court upheld a suit filed by Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former National Deputy Chairman of the ADC for the North-East, who challenged the process through which the Mark-led committee assumed control of the party.
Gombe argued that following the resignation of the party’s former National Chairman, Chief Ralph Nwosu, he was qualified to assume the leadership position.
He consequently asked the court to nullify all actions taken by the Senator Mark-led leadership on behalf of the party.
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The plaintiff also sought an order restraining Mark and Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola from presenting themselves as the ADC’s National Chairman and National Secretary, respectively.
He argued that their emergence violated the party’s constitution and provisions of the Electoral Act.
The defendants in the suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025, included the ADC, INEC, Senator Mark, Aregbesola and Nwosu.
Justice Lifu upheld Gombe’s claims and granted the reliefs he sought, in a ruling that could trigger further political and legal developments ahead of the presidential election scheduled for January 16, 2027.
The ADC has, however, vowed to challenge the judgment at the appellate court.
Reacting to the ruling, the party’s National Welfare Secretary, Nkemakolam Ukandu, who was later joined in the case as an interested party, said the party would appeal the decision.
The judgment came barely 24 hours after Atiku held a campaign rally in Sokoto State as part of his activities ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
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