High Court Ruling: ADC Heads To Appeal
The 2027 presidential election campaign was thrown into fresh controversy, yesterday, as a Federal High Court in Abuja sacked the Senator David Mark-led National Working Committee of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, declared its emergence illegal and nullified all actions taken by the leadership, including the nomination of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar as the party’s presidential candidate.
The judgment by Justice Peter Lifu, has triggered reactions, with the ADC vowing to challenge the decision at the Court of Appeal, Atiku alleging a calculated attempt by the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, to cripple the opposition, and other political parties warning against actions capable of undermining democratic competition.
While the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr. Festus Keyamo, SAN, hailed the ruling as justice well served, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Mr. Peter Obi, urged the judiciary to protect democracy and ensure certainty in the electoral process.
The Coalition of United Political Parties, CUPP, accused the APC of using the judiciary to foist a one-party state on Nigeria, while the Social Democratic Party, SDP, and other opposition figures expressed concern over what they described as attempts to weaken political alternatives ahead of the polls.
The judgment came a day after Atiku held a campaign rally in Sokoto State, where thousands of supporters welcomed him as he began mobilising for the January 16, 2027, presidential election.
Atiku, whose name had earlier been published by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, as the ADC presidential candidate, has already picked former Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi, as his running mate.
The ruling, however, has cast uncertainty over the party’s leadership and presidential ticket, raising fresh questions about the legal and political battles that could shape the countdown to the general election.
Court upholds Gombe’s suit
Justice Lifu upheld the suit by Nafiu Gombe, a former National Deputy Chairman (North-East) of the ADC, who challenged the process through which the Mark-led leadership assumed control of the party.
Gombe had argued that following the resignation of the former National Chairman, Chief Ralph Nwosu, he was entitled to assume the party’s leadership.
He consequently asked the court to nullify the actions of the Mark-led leadership and restrain Mark and Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola from parading themselves as National Chairman and National Secretary, respectively.
The suit listed the ADC, INEC, Mark, Aregbesola and Nwosu as defendants.
The plaintiff maintained that the emergence of the Mark-led leadership violated the party’s constitution and provisions of the Electoral Act.
Justice Lifu upheld his claims and granted the reliefs sought, declaring the Mark-led Caretaker Committee illegal and invalidating its actions.
The decision effectively invalidated the process through which the committee organised the party’s presidential primary that produced Atiku as its candidate.
The ADC has rejected the judgment and announced plans to appeal. Its National Welfare Secretary, Nkemakolam Ukandu, who was joined in the case as an interested party, said the party would challenge the verdict at the appellate court.
Atiku alleges plot to weaken opposition
Reacting in a statement by his Director of Strategic Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku accused the APC of exploiting the judgment to frustrate his presidential ambition and contain the ADC’s growing influence ahead of the 2027 elections.
He questioned the timing of the ruling, coming barely a day after the party’s rally in Sokoto, and alleged that it was intended to weaken his support base in the North and disrupt the opposition’s national mobilisation.
Atiku, however, insisted that the judgment would not derail his campaign or diminish his political appeal across the country.
“The people of Sokoto came out in their thousands because they are hungry for change and believe in our promise to make life affordable again. What we witnessed in Sokoto is only the beginning. The people of Kebbi will have their say, and so will Nigerians across the country as our campaign moves forward,” he said.
Rejecting attempts to portray his candidacy as a Northern project, he said: “My roots are in Northern Nigeria, but my candidacy belongs to all Nigerians. There is a difference between being from the North and being a candidate only for the North. Hunger and hardship do not respect regional boundaries. Nigerians across the country are suffering under this government, and they deserve a leader with a credible plan to make life affordable again.
“The timing of this judgment is no coincidence. It is part of a strategy to weaken my support in the North and frustrate a campaign whose message is resonating across the country. But the ruling party’s greatest miscalculation is to assume that my support ends in the North. What we saw in Sokoto, what we will see in Kebbi and across the country, is the strength of a national movement,” he said.
He questioned why the leadership dispute had been reopened despite an earlier judgment by Justice Musa Liman of the Federal High Court, Abuja, in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1637/2025.
According to him, “Why, after that judgment, was another case filed to reopen the same dispute? This is a calculated attempt to circumvent a subsisting judgment. We will challenge this judicial manoeuvre at the Court of Appeal.
“Our journey to rescue Nigeria from the hardship imposed by the APC government is a long one. Our Affordable Life campaign will continue because Nigerians deserve relief from this crushing cost-of-living crisis,” he said, adding “there is no shaking.”
The ADC Presidential Campaign Council also rejected the judgment, insisting that it could not override an earlier decision of a court of coordinate jurisdiction which, according to it, affirmed the emergence of Mark and Aregbesola as the party’s leaders.
In a statement by its Director of Media and Publicity, Kola Ologbondiyan, the council recalled that Justice Liman had examined the leadership dispute and upheld the transfer of leadership from Nwosu to Mark.
It said the July 2, 2025, stakeholders’ meeting preceded the party’s National Executive Council meeting of July 29, 2025, at which Mark and Aregbesola emerged as National Chairman and National Secretary, respectively. The meeting, it added, was monitored by INEC.
“The leadership question has already been subjected to judicial scrutiny by a court of coordinate jurisdiction. It is, therefore, untenable to suggest that a subsequent pronouncement can simply erase or displace an existing judicial decision without due regard to the principles governing judicial authority and the administration of justice.
“The ADC legal team is already taking steps to seek appropriate interim relief, including a stay of execution where legally applicable, and will subsequently pursue an appeal against the judgment.
“Rather than confront the ADC politically and through the ballot box, the APC appears increasingly desperate to deploy every available instrument to frustrate the opposition and undermine its growing electoral momentum,” it alleged.
It also recalled that an earlier judgment by Justice Lifu declaring the ADC deregistered was subsequently set aside by the Court of Appeal, raising concerns about what it described as pressure and political interference in the latest proceedings.
“We consider it imperative that the independence, impartiality and integrity of the judiciary must never be compromised or sacrificed on the altar of partisan political interests,” Ologbondiyan said.
The council urged party members, candidates and supporters to remain calm, insisting that the legal setback would not stop its campaign.
“The ADC is not distracted. The campaign continues. The struggle for a better Nigeria remains unstoppable,” it declared.
ADC warns APC against setting Nigeria on fire
The ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, also accused the APC of using the judiciary to cripple opposition parties and undermine democratic competition.
In a statement, the party said: “We have reasons to believe that the judgment had long been written on this case. The Sokoto rally was simply a trigger that stampeded its delivery.
“Do these people understand what they are playing with? This is not about Atiku Abubakar or David Mark. It is about the democratic rights of Nigerians to freely choose their own leaders. It is about the rights of thousands of candidates to participate in a democratic process,” the statement said.
On his part, Obi expressed concern over the judgment, urging Nigerians and the judiciary to protect democratic principles and allow opposition parties to thrive.
In a statement posted on his X platform, the NDC presidential candidate said he respected the authority of the courts to determine disputes but was concerned about the uncertainty the ruling could create with the 2027 elections approaching.
“I do not challenge the ruling of the court. The court of law is constituted to determine disputes according to the law. My concern is that three months before a general election, it is in the public interest to have certainty,” he said.
Obi warned that uncertainty surrounding political parties and their candidates close to an election could undermine the electoral process and restrict the space for opposition campaigns.
However, Keyamo welcomed the judgment, declaring that the law had taken its course and dismissed allegations that the ruling was politically motivated.
In his reaction, the minister said: “You cannot invade a political party owned and built by Nigerians, hijack it with the connivance of a so-called National Chairman without a prior meeting and approval of a mini National Convention or the National Executive Committee.”
He accused those behind the takeover of attempting to blame the ruling party for problems arising from their actions.
Keyamo added, “Sorry, but the law is decided on facts and evidence, rather than sentiments and outrage by a group of people.”
Dismissing concerns that the judgment threatened democracy, he said the ADC remained a political party with other members and leaders.
“It is not only when a certain Atiku Abubakar contests the Presidency that democracy is not in danger. The ADC as a party is well and alive and populated by people and original leaders who are no less Nigerians than a David Mark and his illegal band of marauders,” he added.
The Coalition of United Political Parties condemned the judgment, describing it as part of what it called a coordinated attempt to eliminate viable opposition parties and impose a one-party state.
In a statement by its spokesperson’s office, CUPP accused the APC-led establishment of using judicial technicalities to disqualify opposition candidates and overturn party leadership structures.
It said: “CUPP views this controversial judgment not as an isolated legal dispute, but as part of a well-choreographed, state-sponsored onslaught aimed at wiping out viable opposition parties and turning Nigeria into a one-party state.
“It is deeply tragic that sections of the judiciary have seemingly abandoned their role as the last line of defence for the common man, choosing instead to act as accomplices in this daylight robbery of the electorate’s mandate.”
The NDC senatorial candidate for Kogi East, Chief Peter Ameh, cautioned opposition politicians against celebrating the judgment, arguing that political division would ultimately benefit the APC.
He said the ruling party would be pleased to see opposition parties fighting one another instead of concentrating on the task of challenging it at the polls.
