A Federal High Court in Abuja has sacked the Senator David Mark-led leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), declaring its caretaker committee illegal and nullifying actions taken by the committee. The judgment, delivered by Justice Peter Lifu, followed a suit filed by Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former National Deputy Chairman (North-East) of the party. Gombe challenged the process through which Mark and other members of the caretaker leadership assumed control of the ADC.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025, was instituted against the ADC, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mark, former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola, and the party’s former National Chairman, Ralph Nwosu. Gombe argued that following Nwosu’s resignation, he was entitled to assume leadership of the party as the next-ranking official under its constitutional arrangement. He asked the court to nullify the emergence of the Mark-led leadership and restrain Mark and Aregbesola from presenting themselves as the party’s National Chairman and National Secretary.
The court upheld Gombe’s claims and granted the reliefs he sought, effectively invalidating the actions of the Mark-led committee. This development throws the opposition party’s preparations for the 2027 elections into fresh uncertainty, particularly the status of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s presidential nomination and other decisions taken by the Mark-led leadership. Atiku had emerged as the ADC’s presidential candidate for the 2027 election, with former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi selected as his running mate.
The judgment is the latest development in a prolonged leadership crisis within the ADC, which became the adopted political platform of opposition figures seeking to challenge President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 elections. The crisis intensified in 2025 after Nwosu and other members of the party’s former National Working Committee resigned, paving the way for Mark and Aregbesola to emerge as interim National Chairman and National Secretary.
The dispute has produced several conflicting court decisions and interventions by INEC. In April 2026, the Supreme Court set aside a Court of Appeal order directing parties in the dispute to maintain the status quo ante bellum and returned the case to the Federal High Court for an expedited hearing. The apex court did not determine the substantive question of who was entitled to lead the party.
Reacting to the ruling, ADC National Welfare Secretary Nkemakolam Ukandu said the party would appeal the decision. The development comes amid growing political realignments and legal battles among opposition figures seeking to challenge Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election. The court’s decision could therefore have significant implications for the party’s electoral preparations.
The ADC has vowed to challenge the judgment at the Court of Appeal. The ultimate effect on Atiku’s nomination will depend on the precise terms of the judgment and any subsequent appellate proceedings. Atiku had already begun campaigning, including a rally in Sokoto State on Wednesday, barely a day before Thursday’s judgment.
Key points
- The court ruling has thrown Atiku Abubakar's 2027 presidential candidacy into doubt.
