A Federal High Court in Abuja has declared the David Mark-led leadership of the African Democratic Congress ADC illegal. This ruling has cancelled all the party’s candidates for the 2027 elections, including the presidential ticket of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
Justice Peter Lifu gave the judgment on Thursday. He ruled that the way the Mark-led committee took over the party broke the ADC constitution, the Electoral Act, and the 1999 Constitution.
The legal trouble started after the former National Chairman, Ralph Nwosu, resigned. Nafi’u Bala Gombe, a former ADC Deputy National Chairman, went to court. He argued that the party’s rules allowed him to take over after Nwosu left. The court agreed with Gombe and threw out the Mark-led committee.
Following this, the court cancelled the appointment of former Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, as National Secretary, along with other national officers. The judge also told the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC to ignore all decisions made at the party’s meeting on July 27, 2025.
Lawyers for the plaintiff, Lukman Fagbemi SAN and Luka Musa Haruna SAN, said the ruling means the ADC currently has no valid candidates for any position in the 2027 elections.
This judgment comes just one day after Atiku held a big campaign rally in Sokoto State. The ADC’s National Welfare Secretary, Nkemakolam Ubandu, said the party will appeal the ruling.
