Court Voids Atiku’s Candidacy, Sacks All ADC Candidates and Party Leadership

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday sacked the leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) under former Senate President David Mark and voided the party’s presidential ticket held by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.

Judge Peter Lifu said the “Mark-led Caretaker Committee, which conducted the party’s presidential primary that produced Atiku Abubakar as its flag bearer,” is illegal.

The judge sacked the entire national officers of the party, including National Secretary Rauf Aregbesola, alongside all the candidates the party presented to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the 2027 elections.

If upheld by higher courts on appeal, the judgement means the ADC, a major challenger to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), is barred from fielding candidates in the upcoming general elections.

The former ADC Deputy National Chairman, North-East, Nafiu Bala Gombe, instituted the suit challenging the process through which Mr Mark and other members assumed the party’s leadership.

Mr Gombe sued the ADC, INEC, Messrs Mark, Aregbesola and a former national chairman of the party, Ralph Nwosu.

He argued that following the resignation of Mr Nwosu as the national chairman of ADC, he was constitutionally entitled to take over the party’s leadership.

He consequently asked the court to invalidate all actions taken by the Mr Mark-led leadership.

He also urged the court to bar Mr Mark, Mr Aregbesola who is a former governor of Osun State, and other members of their caretaker committee, from parading themselves as valid leaders of the party.

The plaintiff maintained that their emergence violated the ADC constitution and relevant provisions of the Electoral Act.

On Thursday, the Judge Lifu upheld Mr Gombe’s claims and granted his prayers.

As a consequence of his findings, the judge directed INEC not to recognise the decisions taken at the party’s 99th National Executive Committee meeting of 27 July 2025 and subsequent actions including nomination of candidates for the 2027 general elections.

The decision will be most likely challenged up to the level of the Supreme Court, which will give its final verdict before the general elections start in January.

An appeal against the verdict sets off a return journey to the appellate courts, which initially gave an interim resolution, with the Supreme Court restoring the Mr Mark leadership of the party in April.

The Supreme Court’s decision at the time was not the final one on the matter, as a five-member panel of the court ordered that the Federal High Court, from where the suit originated, should see the stalled proceedings to the end.