Nigeria's Federal High Court in Abuja has nullified the leadership of the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC) and voided the decisions taken under it — including the presidential primary that produced former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar as the party's candidate for the 2027 elections. Justice Peter Lifu delivered the judgment on Thursday, November 5, in a suit brought by the party's former deputy national chairman for the North-East, Nafiu Bala Gombe.

Source: Africa Eye News

The court declared the caretaker committee led by former Senate President David Mark illegal, holding that its emergence violated the ADC constitution, the Electoral Act and Nigeria's 1999 Constitution. It also set aside the emergence of former Osun State governor Rauf Aregbesola as national secretary, along with other national officers and candidates nominated under the committee, and directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to recognise decisions arising from the party's 99th National Executive Committee meeting of July 27, 2025.

Source: NGProbe

A leadership fight that reached the courts

The dispute began after the ADC's founding national chairman, Ralph Nwosu, announced that the existing leadership would step aside, and Mark and Aregbesola emerged as interim chairman and interim national secretary. Gombe filed suit (FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025) on September 2, 2025, challenging the arrangement; the ADC, INEC, Mark, Aregbesola and Nwosu were defendants. INEC initially recognised the Mark-led leadership in September 2025, then withdrew recognition from both factions in March 2026 after the Court of Appeal directed the parties to maintain the status quo. The Supreme Court set that order aside on April 30, 2026 and sent the case back for an expedited hearing, while a different Federal High Court judge, Justice Musa Liman, struck out a separate challenge on July 2, 2026 as an internal party affair.

Source: Spear News editorial summary of the case history

2027Election year now thrown into uncertainty for the ADC
Jan 16, 2027Reported date of the presidential election
99th NEC2025 meeting whose decisions INEC was told not to recognise

ADC rejects the judgment, appeal promised

The ADC rejected the ruling. In a statement reported on Friday, the party said it was awaiting the Certified True Copy of the judgment to establish its exact terms, argued that Justice Liman's earlier judgment had affirmed the Mark-led committee, and said it would challenge the ruling at the Court of Appeal. National Welfare Secretary Nkemakolam Ukandu confirmed the intention to appeal, according to Africa Eye News, and Atiku also indicated the judgment would be contested, Lagos Pulse reported. The judgment came barely a day after Atiku held a large campaign rally in Sokoto State.

Source: Sunrise Times / ADC statement

What is solid

  • Justice Peter Lifu nullified the Mark-led ADC caretaker committee and its decisions on November 5 (multiple Nigerian outlets)
  • The ruling voids, on its face, the primary that produced Atiku Abubakar as ADC presidential candidate and Aregbesola's emergence as national secretary
  • The ADC has publicly rejected the judgment and says it will appeal

What is only claimed

  • Two Federal High Court judges have reached opposing conclusions on the same leadership question in 2026 — Liman in July and Lifu in November — so the final legal position depends on the appellate courts
  • Whether INEC will act on the order before any appeal is heard has not been confirmed by the commission

What happens next: the appeal will decide whether the ADC enters the 2027 campaign under the Mark-led structure with Atiku as its candidate, or must rebuild its leadership and nominations under court supervision. Until the appellate courts rule, the party's candidates for the 2027 elections remain in legal limbo.