The African Democratic Congress (ADC) and its 2027 presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar have applauded the judiciary over the ruling of the Federal High Court on the leadership tussle in the opposition party.
A Federal High Court in Abuja dealt a decisive blow to internal party dissent yesterday by dismissing a lawsuit filed by House of Representatives member Leke Abejide. The court effectively blocked Abejide’s legal bid to strip Mark of his authority and invalidate his appointment as the African Democratic Congress (ADC) national chairman.
Delivering the judgement, Justice Musa Liman decided that the complaint lacked merit and upheld preliminary objections brought by the ADC, Chief Ralph Nwosu, Mark, and Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola opposing Abejide’s case.
The court declared the lawsuit to be non-justiciable and determined that it lacked the authority to become involved in the ADC’s internal affairs.
Judge Liman also determined that Abejide lacked locus standing to file the lawsuit since he was unable to prove that Mark’s rise to prominence in the party had violated his rights.
Furthermore, Justice Liman also noted that Abejide, a member of the House of Representatives, had not exhausted the party’s internal dispute resolution mechanisms before approaching the court.
Ruling on the substantive suit, Justice Liman resolved all three contested points in favour of the defendants.
The court ruled that Mark and Aregbesola’s emergence was legitimate and compliant with the Electoral Act, the party’s constitution, and ADC internal regulations.
Additionally, the judge fined Abejide N10 million and ordered Abejide to pay N2 million to each of the accused.
Read Also: David Mark faction stages protest at Federal High Court.
Backstory…
On February 15, Abejide filed the lawsuit with the number FHC/ABJ/CS/1637/2025, citing the ADC, Nwosu, Mark, Aregbesola, and INEC as the first through fifth defendants. Nwosu is the former ADC national chairman who stepped down in favour of Mark.
Among eight reliefs sought, Abejide requested the court to dismiss Nwosu’s July 2, 2025 handover of party leadership to Mark and Aregbesola at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja, as unconstitutional and void.
He also requested permanent injunctions prohibiting Mark and Aregbesola from parading themselves as ADC leaders and barring INEC from acknowledging them, arguing that their emergence failed to meet the standards of Section 82 of the Electoral Act.
Another victory for Nigeria’s multiparty democracy
Reacting to the development, ADC, in a statement described the judgment as another affirmation of its constitutionally recognised leadership.
It stated that the ruling upheld its stance that disagreements over leadership remained internal party matters and were not subject to judicial review under the Electoral Act’s provisions.
According to the party, the emergence of its current leadership, headed by David Mark, complied fully with the ADC Constitution and applicable Nigerian laws. “This judgment affirms our clear position that the issue of leadership remains an internal affair of the party and is therefore not justiciable.”
The party also expressed hope that the decision will put a stop to needless diversions and attempts to politically undermine the opposition, characterising it as another triumph for Nigeria’s multiparty democracy.
The party claimed that anti-democratic elements were still pursuing acts capable of damaging opposition politics and democratic governance, claiming that it remained watchful after the court ruling.
In addition, the party applauded the presiding court for upholding justice and awarded costs against the plaintiff and counsel, underlining that the judgement will deter frivolous litigation in the future.
Victory not merely for ADC
Similarly, Atiku Abubakar, the party’s presidential candidate, in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, noted the judiciary had once again displayed courage, independence and fidelity to the Constitution in the face of alleged attempts by desperate political actors to weaponize the courts against the opposition.
The former vice president also urged ADC members to remain focused on the larger task of rescuing Nigeria from the unprecedented economic hardship, insecurity, and institutional decay inflicted upon the country by the President Bola Tinubu administration.
