COURT SACKS DAVID MARK-LED ADC LEADERSHIP, NULLIFIES ATIKU’S 2027 PRESIDENTIAL TICKET

By De Accolade Magazine

The political landscape ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections has been thrown into fresh uncertainty following a Federal High Court judgment in Abuja which nullified the leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) led by former Senate President, Senator David Mark, and invalidated the process that produced former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar as the party’s presidential candidate.

The judgment, delivered on Thursday, November 5, 2026, by Justice Peter Lifu, declared the Mark-led Caretaker Committee illegal, effectively invalidating the authority under which the committee operated and the decisions it took on behalf of the opposition party.

The court also nullified the emergence of former Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, as the party’s National Secretary, alongside other national officers appointed under the disputed leadership structure.

The ruling followed a suit instituted by Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former Deputy National Chairman of the ADC representing the North-East, who challenged the legality of the process through which Senator Mark and other members of the caretaker committee assumed control of the party.

The plaintiff argued that following the resignation of the party’s former National Chairman, Chief Ralph Nwosu, he was constitutionally entitled to assume leadership of the ADC in his capacity as the former deputy national chairman.

Gombe consequently approached the court seeking an order declaring the Mark-led caretaker committee illegal and invalidating all decisions taken by the committee. He also challenged the emergence of Mark and Aregbesola as National Chairman and National Secretary respectively, arguing that the process violated the party’s constitution and relevant provisions of the Electoral Act.

In upholding the plaintiff’s case, Justice Lifu granted the reliefs sought and invalidated decisions taken by the disputed leadership, including the process that produced Atiku Abubakar as the ADC presidential flag bearer for the 2027 general elections.

The court’s decision also affected the nominations of other candidates presented by the party for elective positions in the forthcoming elections.

The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025, listed the ADC, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Senator David Mark, Rauf Aregbesola and Chief Ralph Nwosu as defendants.

The judgment represents a significant setback for Atiku Abubakar and the opposition coalition that adopted the ADC as its political platform ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

Atiku had emerged as the party’s presidential candidate following its primary election and subsequently selected former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, as his running mate.

The latest ruling has, however, thrown the validity of the presidential ticket into legal uncertainty, as the court invalidated the leadership structure that supervised the process leading to his emergence.

The development could also affect the electoral plans of other political actors who had secured or intended to secure ADC tickets for the 2027 elections.

However, the judgment does not necessarily bring Atiku’s presidential ambition to an end, as the party has indicated its intention to challenge the decision through the appellate courts.

Reacting to the ruling, the ADC rejected the court's decision and described it as politically motivated, raising concerns about what it considers an attempt to weaken the opposition ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The party's National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said the party would challenge the judgment at the appellate court.

The party also maintained that the David Mark-led leadership had previously received judicial recognition, insisting that the latest decision would not be allowed to stand without a legal challenge.

The ADC's position signals that the leadership crisis within the party is far from over, with another round of legal proceedings expected to determine its legitimate leadership and the validity of its candidates.

The dispute over the ADC leadership originated in July 2025 following the departure of the party's former National Chairman, Chief Ralph Nwosu, and the subsequent emergence of Senator David Mark and Rauf Aregbesola as National Chairman and National Secretary.

Their emergence was opposed by some party stakeholders, including Nafiu Bala Gombe, who questioned the constitutional procedure adopted in transferring the party's leadership.

The dispute subsequently generated several legal proceedings, including interventions by the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court had earlier set aside an interim order of the Court of Appeal and returned the substantive leadership dispute to the Federal High Court for determination.

Thursday's judgment is therefore a major development in the prolonged struggle for control of the opposition party.

COURT SACKS DAVID MARK-LED ADC LEADERSHIP, NULLIFIES ATIKU’S 2027 PRESIDENTIAL TICKET

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