A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Thursday nullified all processes of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) that led to the emergence of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar as the party’s candidate for the 2027 presidential election.
The trial judge, Justice Peter Lifu, in a judgment in a suit filed by the ADC’s Deputy National Chairman, Nafiu Bala Gombe, also nullified the emergence of former Senate President David Mark, Rauf Aregbesola and others as national officers of the party.
The court further cancelled the nominations of all candidates nominated for the 2027 general elections, on the grounds that they emerged under what it described as the party’s illegal and unlawful leadership.
Justice Lifu upheld Gombe’s case, holding that Mark and Aregbesola emerged as leaders of the party through unlawful and illegal means.
The judge held that all actions taken by the Mark-led leadership in the name of the ADC were unlawful and should be nullified.
The judgment followed a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025, instituted by former ADC Deputy National Chairman, North-East, Nafiu Bala Gombe, who challenged the process through which Mark and other members of the caretaker committee assumed control of the party.
Gombe argued that, following the resignation of the former National Chairman, Ralph Nwosu, he was constitutionally entitled to take over the party’s leadership.
He consequently asked the court to invalidate the actions of the Mark-led leadership and restrain Mark and Aregbesola from parading themselves as the party’s National Chairman and National Secretary, respectively.
The plaintiff listed the ADC, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mark, Aregbesola and Nwosu as defendants in the suit.
Upholding Gombe’s case, Justice Lifu held that the emergence of the Mark-led leadership violated the ADC constitution, relevant provisions of the Electoral Act and the 1999 Constitution.
The court also ordered INEC not to recognise or act on decisions taken at the party’s 99th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting held on July 27, 2025.
Speaking with journalists on the court premises after the judgment, Gombe’s counsel, Lukman Fagbemi, SAN, said the court had nullified all actions taken by the Mark-led party leadership since July 2025. He added that INEC had been ordered not to act on decisions taken at the party’s 99th NEC meeting in 2025.
‘The implication of what we have gotten today is that the court, having reviewed the entire facts of the case, the clear position of the law, the party’s guidelines and constitution, the provisions of the Electoral Act, and the relevant provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, found as a fact that they did not emerge through lawful constitutional means and that there were flagrant breaches of all the relevant provisions we have stated.
‘And the implication is that INEC, which has the duty to ensure that this happens in line with Section 223 of the Constitution, has now been ordered not to recognise or act on all the decisions taken at the party’s 99th NEC meeting on July 27, 2025.
‘All the actions taken by the ADC as a party since July 27 to date stand annulled,’ he said.
Another counsel for the plaintiff, Luka Musa Haruna, SAN, said the judgment followed the determination of the substantive matter, after the Supreme Court directed that the case be returned to the High Court for determination.
He said the judgment left the ADC without candidates for any elective position in the 2027 elections, from the presidency to the governorship, Senate and House of Assembly.
‘You will recall that the interlocutory aspect of this matter went up to the Supreme Court, which directed that we return to the trial court so that the substantive issue could be determined.
‘Today, the substantive issue has been determined: all actions taken by the David Mark-led leadership of the ADC have been declared null and void.
‘As it stands today, the ADC has no candidate, from the presidential level to the House of Assembly, governorship, Senate and all other elective positions, for the 2027 election. They have no representation as it stands today, except if you are from the camp of Nafiu Bala, who is the substantive chairman of the ADC,’ Haruna said.