By John Azu
A Federal High Court in Abuja has sacked the David Mark-led executive of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), ruling in favour of the Nafi’iu Bala Gombe-led faction of the party.
Justice Peter Lifu, in a judgment delivered on Thursday, also ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise the Bala Gombe-led National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party.
The court upheld the arguments of Bala Gombe, who challenged the process through which the Mark-led caretaker committee assumed the party’s leadership and the emergence of its electoral candidates, including its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
Justice Lifu held that the emergence of the Mark-led executive violated the provisions of the ADC constitution, the Electoral Act and the 1999 Constitution.
The judge also nullified the emergence of other members of the executive, including the National Secretary, Rauf Aregbesola.
He further ordered INEC not to recognise decisions taken at the party’s 99th NEC meeting held on July 27, 2025.
The judgment followed a suit filed by Bala Gombe, the party’s former Deputy National Chairman (North-East), with suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025, challenging the conduct of the convention that produced the new executives and their legitimacy.
The defendants in the suit were the ADC, Mark, Aregbesola, INEC and the party’s former National Chairman, Ralph Nwosu.
Gombe had argued that the emergence of Mark and Aregbesola as the party’s National Chairman and National Secretary, respectively, violated the provisions of the ADC constitution and the Electoral Act.
He maintained that, following Nwosu’s resignation, he was the rightful person to assume the position of National Chairman.
Consequently, he asked the court to restrain Mark and Aregbesola from parading themselves as the party’s National Chairman and National Secretary, respectively.