The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has rejected a Federal High Court judgment in Abuja that sacked the Senator David Mark-led National Working Committee, declared its emergence illegal, and nullified all its actions including the nomination of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2027 election.
Justice Peter Lifu delivered the ruling on Thursday in a suit filed by Nafiu Gombe, a former National Deputy Chairman (North-East) of the ADC. Gombe had challenged the process through which the Mark-led leadership took control of the party after the resignation of former National Chairman Chief Ralph Nwosu.
He argued that he was entitled to assume leadership and sought orders nullifying the Mark committee’s actions while restraining Mark and Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola from parading themselves as National Chairman and National Secretary respectively.The court upheld Gombe’s claims, declared the Mark-led Caretaker Committee illegal and invalid, and effectively voided the presidential primary that produced Atiku as the ADC candidate.
Atiku, whose name had already been published by INEC as the party’s flagbearer, has selected former Rivers State governor Rotimi Amaechi as his running mate.The judgment, coming a day after Atiku’s campaign rally in Sokoto, has sparked sharp reactions. The ADC announced it would appeal the decision at the Court of Appeal. National Welfare Secretary Nkemakolam Ukandu, joined in the case as an interested party, confirmed the party’s intention to challenge the verdict.
The ADC Presidential Campaign Council insisted the ruling cannot override an earlier judgment by Justice Musa Liman of the Federal High Court, Abuja, which it said had already affirmed the emergence of Mark and Aregbesola. In a statement by Director of Media and Publicity Kola Ologbondiyan, the council noted that the July 2, 2025 stakeholders’ meeting and the subsequent July 29 National Executive Council meeting—monitored by INEC—produced the current leadership. It described the latest judgment as untenable and said the party’s legal team was seeking interim relief, including a possible stay of execution, while preparing an appeal.
Atiku, through his Director of Strategic Communication Phrank Shaibu, alleged a calculated plot by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to weaken the opposition and frustrate his presidential ambition. He questioned the timing of the ruling and vowed that the campaign would continue, describing the Sokoto turnout as evidence of nationwide hunger for change.Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development Festus Keyamo, SAN, welcomed the judgment as “justice well served,” arguing that no group could simply hijack a political party without proper constitutional processes. He dismissed claims of political interference and insisted the ADC remained a viable party with its original leaders.
Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate Peter Obi urged the judiciary to protect democracy and ensure certainty in the electoral process three months before the general election. The Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) condemned the ruling as part of an alleged attempt to impose a one-party state, while other opposition figures expressed concern that the decision could undermine democratic competition.The ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, accused the APC of using the judiciary to cripple opposition parties and warned against actions that could set the country on a dangerous path.
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