By Ade Oyeyemi
The political future of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has been thrown into uncertainty following a Federal High Court judgment invalidating the leadership structure headed by former Senate President David Mark.
Justice Peter Lifu, who delivered the judgment in Abuja on Thursday, ruled that the Mark-led caretaker committee was illegal and declared all actions undertaken by the group since July 27, 2026, invalid.
The decision has cast doubt on the legitimacy of the party’s presidential primary, which produced former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar as its candidate for the 2027 general election.
The court’s ruling followed a legal challenge by Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former National Deputy Chairman of the ADC representing the North-East, who questioned the circumstances surrounding the transfer of the party’s leadership to the Mark-led committee.
Gombe argued that he was entitled to assume the position of National Chairman following the departure of former party chairman, Chief Ralph Nwosu, insisting that the party’s leadership arrangement should have been respected.
He consequently asked the court to set aside decisions and activities undertaken by the caretaker committee, contending that its emergence and subsequent actions were unlawful.
The plaintiff also challenged the authority of the committee to conduct party affairs, including the process that culminated in Atiku’s emergence as the ADC’s presidential flag bearer.
The suit, filed as FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025, named the ADC, the Independent National Electoral Commission, Mark, former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola and Nwosu as defendants.
The judgment marks a major development in the party’s protracted leadership dispute, with possible consequences for its internal administration and preparations for the 2027 elections.
