The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has sacked Senator David Mark-led executives of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and invalidated all actions they took on behalf of the party.
The actions included the nomination of a former vice president, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections.
Atiku, whose name was earlier published by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as a candidate for the presidential poll, has since chosen a former governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, as his running mate.
However, in a judgment delivered on Thursday by Justice Peter Lifu, the court declared illegal the Senator Mark-led Caretaker Committee of the ADC, which organised the primary election that produced Atiku as the party’s presidential flag bearer.
The court found merit in a suit brought before it by the aggrieved former National Deputy Chairman (North-East) of the party, Nafiu Bala Gombe.
Gombe had approached the court to query the process through which the Senator Mark-led Committee took over the reins of leadership of the party.
However, in a judgment delivered on Thursday, Justice Peter Lifu declared the Senator Mark-led Caretaker Committee of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), which organised the primary election that produced Atiku as the party’s presidential candidate, illegal.
The court ruled in favour of Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former National Deputy Chairman (North-East) of the party, who had instituted the suit.
Gombe had challenged the process through which the Senator Mark-led committee assumed control of the party’s leadership.
He argued that following the resignation of former National Chairman, Chief Ralph Nwosu, he was constitutionally entitled to take over the party’s leadership.
Gombe had, among other reliefs, asked the court to nullify all actions taken on behalf of the party by the Senator Mark-led leadership.
The defendants in the suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025, included the ADC, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Senator Mark, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and Chief Ralph Nwosu.
He also urged the court to restrain Mark and Aregbesola from presenting themselves as the party’s National Chairman and National Secretary, respectively, arguing that their emergence violated the ADC constitution and provisions of the Electoral Act.