The Federal High Court in Abuja has affirmed the leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) led by former Senate President David Mark.
Justice Musa Liman, who delivered the judgment on Thursday, dismissed a suit filed by Leke Abejide, a member of the House of Representatives, challenging the legality of the emergence of Mark as the party’s national chairman and former Osun State governor Rauf Aregbesola as national secretary.
Listed as defendants in the suit were Mark, Aregbesola, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the ADC and the party’s former national chairman, Ralph Nwosu.
Abejide had asked the court to declare the July 2, 2025, handover of the party’s leadership by Nwosu to Mark and Aregbesola at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja as illegal, unlawful, null and void. He also sought a perpetual injunction restraining the duo from presenting themselves as the party’s leaders.
Justice Liman upheld the preliminary objections raised by the defendants and held that the court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the matter because it bordered on the internal affairs of a political party.
The judge ruled that the suit was non-justiciable and further held that Abejide lacked the legal standing to institute the action, having failed to demonstrate that his rights had been infringed by the emergence of the new leadership.
Justice Liman also found that Nwosu’s transfer of the party’s leadership to Mark did not contravene the ADC constitution.
He consequently declared that the emergence of Mark and Aregbesola as the party’s national chairman and national secretary was valid and in line with both the ADC constitution and the Electoral Act, 2026.
The court awarded costs of ₦2 million each in favour of all the defendants, payable by Abejide. It also imposed ₦10 million costs against the plaintiff’s counsel.
Abejide had defected from the ADC to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in May before going on to secure the APC ticket for the Yagba Federal Constituency of Kogi State.
The leadership tussle within the ADC began after the party’s national leadership was handed over to the David Mark-led executive, a development opposed by some party members, including Abejide and former deputy national chairman, Nafiu Bala.
Their opposition resulted in a series of legal actions challenging the new leadership.
On September 2, 2025, Bala filed a suit before the Federal High Court in Abuja seeking to stop Mark and his executives from functioning as the party’s leadership.
After hearing an ex parte application on September 4, 2025, the court directed the respondents, including INEC, to appear and show cause why the interim relief sought should not be granted.
Before approaching the court, Bala had declared himself the national chairman of the ADC, alleging that the Mark-led leadership unlawfully took over the party in violation of its constitution. He also maintained that he never resigned as the party’s deputy national chairman.
Dissatisfied with the proceedings, Mark challenged the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court at the Court of Appeal. However, on March 12, 2026, the appellate court dismissed the appeal as incompetent and lacking merit, directing all parties to maintain the status quo pending the determination of the substantive suit.
Following the judgment, INEC withdrew its recognition of the Mark-led leadership, prompting the faction to approach the Supreme Court.
On April 30, the apex court set aside the Court of Appeal’s status quo order, describing it as “unnecessary, unwarranted and improper,” and directed the parties to return to the Federal High Court for the hearing and determination of the substantive leadership dispute.
