A Federal High Court ruling nullifying the David Mark-led leadership of the African Democratic Congress has cast uncertainty over the candidacies of 1,503 party aspirants ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja delivered the judgment on Thursday, declaring that the emergence of Mark and other members of the party’s National Working Committee violated the ADC constitution and its internal guidelines.
The ruling followed a suit filed by former ADC National Deputy Chairman, Nafiu Bala Gombe, who challenged the emergence of the Mark-led executive after the resignation of former National Chairman, Ralph Nwosu. Gombe argued that he was qualified to assume the party’s leadership and asked the court to restrain Mark and his executive from acting as party leaders.
The judge granted the reliefs sought by the plaintiff and declared unconstitutional, unlawful, null and void all actions and decisions taken by the Mark-led executive on behalf of the party.
The judgment has raised questions about the validity of the party’s congresses and convention, which produced former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as its presidential candidate, alongside other candidates for state and federal positions.
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Before the ruling, the ADC had listed 28 governorship candidates, 108 senatorial candidates, 352 House of Representatives candidates and 1,015 State House of Assembly candidates.
The development has also raised questions about an earlier judgment delivered on July 2, 2026, by Justice Musa Liman of the same Federal High Court in Abuja. In that case, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1637/2025, the court dismissed a challenge to the Mark-led leadership, ruling that it lacked jurisdiction over the internal affairs of the party and that the plaintiff had failed to exhaust internal remedies.
Justice Liman also directed the Independent National Electoral Commission to recognise and engage with the party leadership. The latest ruling has therefore triggered questions about the relationship between the two decisions and which one INEC will act upon.
Atiku Abubakar has condemned the judgment, describing it as an attempt to weaken the ADC following the large turnout at the party’s presidential campaign rally in Sokoto on Wednesday.
In a statement issued by his campaign’s Director of Strategic Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku questioned why another case was filed to reopen a leadership dispute already addressed by a court of equal jurisdiction. He said the party would challenge the ruling at the Court of Appeal.
Atiku also urged supporters to remain calm and law-abiding, insisting that the campaign would continue across the country. He maintained that his message of making life affordable for Nigerians had national appeal beyond the North.
The ADC also rejected the judgment, describing it as an attempt to undermine opposition politics and restrict Nigerians’ democratic choices. In a statement, its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said the party would appeal the decision and seek a stay of execution.
Abdullahi argued that a court of coordinate jurisdiction could not review or overturn a subsisting judgment of another court of equal jurisdiction. He said the party was awaiting the Certified True Copy of the latest judgment to determine its precise terms and implications.
The Kwankwasiyya Movement has also expressed concern over the ruling, warning that continued legal disputes over opposition leadership and candidate nominations could weaken political competition ahead of the elections.
In a statement by its spokesman, Habeeb Mohammed, the movement urged all parties to pursue legal remedies peacefully and allow the appellate process to resolve the dispute. It warned that uncertainty surrounding the ADC could disenfranchise party members and voters seeking a competitive election.
Meanwhile, the Campaign for Democracy warned that the ruling could undermine Nigeria’s multiparty democracy by affecting the participation of opposition candidates in the forthcoming elections.
The United Friends of Atiku Abubakar also criticised the development, cautioning the judiciary and the APC against what it described as the use of judicial processes to pursue political interests.
The group’s National Coordinator, Aliyu Audi, said the situation raised concerns about the ability of voters to freely choose among candidates if disputes over party leadership continued to affect electoral participation.
