The Federal High Court in Abuja has invalidated the leadership structure of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), throwing into uncertainty the party’s preparations for the 2027 general elections and the emergence of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar as its presidential candidate.
In a judgment delivered on Thursday, November 5, Justice Peter Lifu set aside the procedures that produced former Senate President David Mark as the party’s leader, alongside Rauf Aregbesola and other national officers.
The ruling also affects every candidate nominated by the party for the 2027 elections.
The court held that their nominations could not stand because they were made under a leadership structure it considered unlawful.
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The judgment followed a legal challenge instituted by Nafiu Bala Gombe, a Deputy National Chairman of the ADC, who disputed the legitimacy of the process through which Mark and Aregbesola assumed leadership positions in the party.
Justice Lifu agreed with Gombe’s position, ruling that the emergence of the former Senate President and other officials did not comply with lawful procedures.
The judge consequently declared all decisions and actions taken by the Mark-led leadership on behalf of the ADC invalid.
The ruling raises fresh questions about the party’s leadership, its planned participation in the 2027 elections and the validity of the political arrangements that culminated in Atiku’s emergence as its presidential flagbearer.