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| Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar. Archival portrait published in 2010. Atiku Abubakar / Flickr, via Wikimedia Commons — CC BY 2.0. |
The Federal High Court in Abuja has invalidated the David Mark-led leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and its decisions, including the nomination of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar for the 2027 presidential election.
Justice Peter Lifu delivered the judgment on Thursday, 5 November, upholding a challenge to the process through which Mark’s caretaker committee assumed control of the party.
The ADC’s National Welfare Secretary, Nkemakolam Ukandu, said the party would challenge the decision at the Court of Appeal. Ukandu participated in the proceedings as an interested party.
The judgment followed a suit brought by Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former National Deputy Chairman of the ADC for the North-East, who contested the leadership succession following Ralph Nwosu’s resignation as national chairman.
Gombe argued that the party’s constitution entitled him to assume the chairmanship after Nwosu stepped down. He challenged the arrangement that installed Mark as national chairman and former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola as national secretary.
His claims extended beyond the two officials’ positions. He asked the court to overturn decisions taken by the disputed leadership and restrain Mark and Aregbesola from continuing to act in those offices.
The suit, numbered FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025, named INEC as a defendant alongside the ADC, Mark, Aregbesola and Nwosu. Gombe maintained that the leadership transition breached the party’s constitution and provisions of the Electoral Act.
The court granted the reliefs sought and declared the caretaker committee unlawful. Its decision affected the presidential primary conducted under that leadership, through which Atiku secured the party’s nomination, according to Arise News’ report of the judgment.
The case had reached the judgment stage a month earlier. On 5 October, Lifu reserved his decision after the parties adopted their final written addresses and presented their concluding arguments.
BusinessDay reported at the time that the judge would communicate the delivery date to counsel.
Earlier proceedings included applications by the ADC and Aregbesola seeking Lifu’s withdrawal from the case. The court dismissed those applications on 16 June and awarded costs of ₦1 million against each applicant in Gombe’s favour.
Before Thursday’s ruling, the ADC had selected former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi as Atiku’s running mate and submitted both nominations to the electoral commission.
The party’s announcement of Amaechi’s selection identified him as the runner-up in its presidential primary. In a subsequent statement on the nomination process, the ADC said it had uploaded the names and particulars of Atiku and Amaechi to INEC’s portal.
INEC subsequently published Atiku and Amaechi on its presidential candidate list. The court’s decision therefore affects a nomination that had already passed through the party’s submission process and appeared on the commission’s published list.
The judgment came a day after Atiku’s campaign rally in Sokoto State. Amaechi, Mark and Aregbesola were among the political figures reported at the event.
INEC’s current election calendar schedules the presidential and National Assembly elections for 16 January 2027.