Abuja, 2 July 2026
A Federal High Court in Abuja has ruled in favour of Senator David Mark’s leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), dismissing a suit that sought to nullify the party’s leadership transition.
Justice Musa Liman delivered the judgement today in suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/1637/2025, filed by House of Representatives member Rep. Leke Abejide. The plaintiff had asked the court to declare illegal the handover of ADC leadership from Chief Ralph Nwosu to Senator David Mark as interim National Chairman and Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola as interim National Secretary on 2 July 2025 at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja.
The court dismissed the suit for lack of merit. It upheld preliminary objections raised by the defendants, ruling that the matter concerned internal party affairs and was therefore non-justiciable. Justice Liman held that the plaintiff lacked the necessary standing, having failed to exhaust internal party dispute resolution mechanisms or demonstrate any violation of his rights.
The judge further affirmed that the emergence of Senator Mark and Ogbeni Aregbesola as leaders complied with the ADC constitution and the Electoral Act. The court noted that the 2 July 2025 stakeholder meeting preceded the 29 July 2025 National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, which was monitored by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and produced the current leadership.
Costs of ₦2 million were awarded against the plaintiff in favour of each of the defendants. An additional ₦10 million fine was imposed on the plaintiff’s lawyer under provisions of the Electoral Act.
Background to the Dispute
The ADC has been embroiled in a protracted internal leadership crisis since mid-2025. Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former deputy national chairman, has filed a separate suit (FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025) challenging the same leadership transition before Justice Peter Lifu. That matter has seen multiple adjournments in recent weeks following Supreme Court directions for expedited hearing.
Today’s ruling in the Abejide suit represents a significant victory for the Mark-led faction, reinforcing their position pending the outcome of the parallel Nafiu case.
The judgement is expected to strengthen the Mark-led National Working Committee’s claim to legitimacy as the party prepares for future electoral activities.
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