The Federal High Court in Abuja has delivered a political earthquake — sacking the Senator David Mark-led executives of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and voiding every action they took on behalf of the party.
Most devastatingly, the judgment invalidated the nomination of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as the ADC presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections.
Atiku, whose name had already been published by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as a candidate for the poll, had since picked former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi as his running mate.
But on Thursday, Justice Peter Lifu ruled that the entire process that produced them was illegal.
Justice Lifu declared the Senator Mark-led Caretaker Committee of the ADC illegal, saying it had no lawful authority to organise the primary election that produced Atiku as flag bearer.
The court found merit in a suit filed by aggrieved former National Deputy Chairman (North-East) of the party, Nafiu Bala Gombe.
Gombe had challenged how the Mark-led Committee seized control of the party after the resignation of former National Chairman, Chief Ralph Nwosu.
He argued that by virtue of the party’s constitution, he — not Mark — was qualified to assume leadership following Nwosu’s exit.
He asked the court to nullify all actions taken by the Mark-led leadership and to restrain Mark and Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola from parading themselves as National Chairman and National Secretary respectively, insisting their emergence violated the ADC constitution and the Electoral Act.
Justice Lifu upheld his claims and granted all his reliefs.
Listed as defendants in the suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025, were the ADC, INEC, Senator Mark, Aregbesola and Chief Ralph Nwosu.
The verdict, coming barely 24 hours after Atiku held a massive rally in Sokoto State, is set to trigger a chain of reactions across the polity ahead of the presidential election scheduled for January 16, 2027.
Reacting swiftly, the ADC vowed to challenge the judgment at the Court of Appeal.
National Welfare Secretary of the party, Mr. Nkemakolam Ukandu, who was later joined as an interested party in the matter, said the party would not accept the verdict and would fight it at the appellate court.
For now, the fate of Atiku’s 2027 ambition hangs in the balance — with the courts, not the ballot box, deciding the next move.
