The Federal High Court in Abuja ruled that the committee led by Senator David Mark was not lawfully constituted and invalidated actions it took for the ADC, including the process that produced Atiku Abubakar as the party’s presidential flag bearer. The party says it will appeal.
By A1NEWS International
ABUJA, Nigeria — Thursday 06 / 11 / 2026
A Federal High Court in Abuja has declared the Senator David Mark-led caretaker leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) illegal and nullified actions taken by the committee on behalf of the party.
The ruling, delivered by Justice Peter Lifu, raises questions about the status of the party’s process for selecting former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as its presidential candidate for the 2027 election. The judgment’s practical effect on the nomination and Atiku’s candidacy may depend on any appeal and subsequent decisions by the relevant authorities.
The ADC has said it will challenge the ruling at the appellate court.
Suit challenged how Mark-led committee assumed control
The case was brought by Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former ADC National Deputy Chairman for the North-East. He challenged the process by which the Mark-led committee assumed control of the party after the resignation of former National Chairman Ralph Nwosu.
Gombe argued that he was entitled to assume the party leadership following Nwosu’s resignation. He asked the court, among other things, to invalidate actions taken by the Mark-led leadership and restrain Mark and Rauf Aregbesola from presenting themselves as the party’s national chairman and national secretary, respectively.
The suit, numbered FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025, named the ADC, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mark, Aregbesola and Nwosu as defendants.
Court grants plaintiff’s reliefs
Justice Lifu found merit in Gombe’s case and granted the reliefs he sought, according to the account of the judgment. The court declared the Mark-led caretaker committee illegal and invalidated actions it had taken on behalf of the party.
Those actions included organising the primary process that produced Atiku as the ADC’s presidential flag bearer, according to the report of the ruling. Atiku’s name had previously been published by INEC as a candidate for the presidential election. He has also selected former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi as his running mate.
The ruling creates uncertainty around those political steps, but the information available does not specify how INEC will respond or whether the judgment itself changes the published candidate information before any appeal is determined.
ADC says it will appeal
Nkemakolam Ukandu, the ADC’s National Welfare Secretary and an interested party in the case, said the party would challenge the decision at the appellate court.
An appeal could determine whether the judgment stands, is varied or is overturned. The party’s stated intention to appeal does not, by itself, establish what interim arrangements will apply while the case proceeds.
Election timeline raises stakes
The dispute comes as political parties prepare for the 2027 general election. The election date cited in the report is January 16, 2027, making the leadership and nomination questions consequential for the ADC and its prospective candidates.
The ruling also places the party’s internal governance under judicial scrutiny. The dispute centres not only on who leads the ADC, but on whether a committee whose authority was challenged could validly make decisions on the party’s behalf.
Justice Lifu’s ruling invalidates the Mark-led caretaker committee and its actions, including the process that selected Atiku Abubakar as the ADC’s presidential flag bearer. The ADC says it will appeal, leaving the final status of the party leadership and nomination process subject to further legal proceedings. The judgment’s precise impact on INEC’s published candidate information remains unclear from the details available.
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