Court Removes David Mark's ADC Leadership and Nullifies Atiku's 2027 Presidential Nomination

• A Federal High Court in Abuja ruled against the Senator David Mark-led executives of the African Democratic Congress (ADC)
• The judge voided all decisions made by the Mark-led committee, including the primary that produced Atiku Abubakar as the party's presidential candidate
• The ADC has vowed to appeal the ruling, saying it will challenge the judgment at a higher court

A Nigerian federal court has thrown one of the country's leading opposition parties into disarray, removing its entire leadership from office and wiping out the presidential nomination of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar just months before the 2027 general elections.

Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja delivered the verdict on Thursday in a case filed by Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former National Deputy Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) for the North-East zone.

The suit, numbered FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025, named the ADC, the country's electoral commission INEC, Senator David Mark, former Ogun State governor Rauf Aregbesola, and former party chairman Ralph Nwosu as defendants.

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How the legal battle began

Gombe went to court after former ADC chairman Ralph Nwosu stepped down from his post.

He argued that Nwosu's exit automatically entitled him, as deputy chairman, to assume leadership of the party.

Instead, Senator Mark was installed as National Chairman and Aregbesola as National Secretary, a move Gombe said violated the ADC's own constitution and Nigeria's Electoral Act.

The court agreed with him entirely, granting every relief he requested, including an order barring Mark and Aregbesola from presenting themselves as national officers of the party.

What the ruling means for Atiku

Because the Mark-led committee organised the internal primary that selected Atiku Abubakar as the ADC's presidential flag bearer, that primary is now legally void.

In effect, Atiku no longer holds a valid presidential nomination under the party's platform.

The timing is particularly striking: the ruling came less than 24 hours after Atiku addressed a large campaign rally in Sokoto State, with Nigeria's presidential election scheduled for January 16, 2027.

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The ADC has made clear it does not intend to accept the outcome without a fight.

Nkemakolam Ukandu, the party's National Welfare Secretary and a later addition to the case as an interested party, confirmed that the leadership would take the matter to an appellate court.

The case is being closely watched beyond Nigeria's borders, as it raises fundamental questions about how political parties manage internal power transitions and what happens to a presidential candidacy when the body that created it is itself declared unlawful.

Source: YEN.com.gh