Get Guardian on Google• Court nullifies Mark-led NWC, Atiku’s ticket, other nominations
• ADC rejects verdict, cites earlier ruling, prepares appeal
• Atiku, Obi, SDP, CUPP fault timing, warn of electoral uncertainty
• Okorie calls judgment ‘invitation to anarchy’
• Lawyers urge swift appeal as Gombe hails court decision
• APC denies role, describes crisis as ADC’s internal dispute
A Federal High Court judgment nullifying the David Mark-led National Working Committee of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and invalidating its presidential primary has thrown the party’s preparations for the 2027 general election into uncertainty, with former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar’s candidacy among the decisions affected.
The ruling, delivered barely a day after the party’s campaign launch in Sokoto, has prompted calls for an immediate appeal and warnings about its implications for political competition.
Justice Peter Lifu, who delivered the judgment yesterday, also nullified all processes leading to the nomination of candidates by the party for the forthcoming elections, holding that their emergence flowed from an illegal leadership structure.
The suit was instituted by Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former Deputy National Chairman (North) of the party, who challenged the emergence of Mark, former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola and other members of the party’s leadership.
Gombe had sought an order restraining Mark, Aregbesola and others from parading themselves as leaders of the ADC, arguing that their emergence violated the party’s constitution and the Electoral Act, which prescribe procedures for electing party leaders through national conventions.
The defendants included the ADC, Mark, Aregbesola, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and former National Chairman of the party, Ralph Nwosu.
Justice Lifu dismissed 27 separate motions filed by Mark, Aregbesola, the ADC and others seeking to have the case thrown out at the preliminary stage, describing them as frivolous and baseless.
The judge also rejected applications by some NWC members seeking to be joined as defendants, holding that their interests would be determined through the proceedings involving the leadership already before the court.
ADC rejects verdict, cites earlier judgment
THE ADC and its Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) yesterday rejected the judgment, insisting that an earlier ruling of the same Federal High Court had affirmed the Mark-led leadership.
In a statement signed by its Director of Media and Publicity, Kola Ologbondiyan, the ADC PCC described Justice Lifu’s decision as an academic exercise that had been overtaken by events, insisting that it could not displace an existing judgment of a court of coordinate jurisdiction.
The council recalled that Justice Musa Liman, in a judgment delivered on July 2, 2026, in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1637/2025, had examined the circumstances surrounding the emergence of Mark and Aregbesola and upheld their positions as National Chairman and National Secretary respectively.
It said Justice Liman had held that the transfer of leadership from Nwosu to Mark complied with the party’s constitution, noting that the July 29, 2025 National Executive Council (NEC) meeting, at which the duo emerged, 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 council said.
It added that its legal team was taking immediate steps to challenge the ruling, including seeking appropriate interim relief and a stay of execution where legally applicable.
The ADC also said it was awaiting a Certified True Copy of the judgment to establish its precise terms and consequential orders.
In a separate statement, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, described the ruling as another attempt to cripple the opposition and deny Nigerians the opportunity to choose their leaders.
Abdullahi questioned the timing of the judgment, alleging that its delivery barely a day after the party’s successful Sokoto rally was connected to the growing national support for the ADC.
He said the ruling could affect thousands of candidates seeking elective offices at local, state and federal levels, beyond the presidential nomination of Atiku.
The party maintained that the earlier judgment by Justice Liman remained subsisting and argued that a court of coordinate jurisdiction lacked the authority to set it aside.
It urged members and supporters to remain calm and law-abiding while pursuing available legal remedies.
Atiku, Obi fault timing, warn of electoral uncertainty
ATIKU also accused the ruling APC of using the judgment to frustrate his presidential ambition and weaken the ADC’s growing political influence ahead of the 2027 elections.
In a statement issued by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the ADC PCC, the former Vice-President said the ruling came barely 24 hours after supporters welcomed him to Sokoto for the campaign launch, alleging that it was intended to weaken his support base in the North and disrupt the campaign’s national momentum.
“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,” he said.
He, however, insisted that the development would neither derail the party’s campaign nor diminish its appeal across the country, urging supporters to remain peaceful.
Similarly, the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, Peter 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, Obi said he respected the authority of the courts to determine disputes but was concerned about the uncertainty created by the ruling with the general election 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.
The former Anambra State governor alleged that opposition parties were facing efforts to weaken their structures and restrict their campaign space, claiming that similar developments had affected him during his time in the Labour Party.
He also expressed concern over alleged violence against opposition campaigns, warning that the developments could weaken democratic institutions at a time when military rule was spreading in parts of West Africa.
“One mark of democracy is that at all times, it is voters and not courts that choose leaders,” he said, appealing to the judiciary and other stakeholders to protect political participation.
The Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) also condemned the ruling, alleging that it was part of a broader effort to weaken opposition parties and create conditions for a one-party state.
In a statement issued in Abuja, the coalition accused the APC-led administration of benefiting from developments capable of undermining political competition.
It urged the judiciary to protect citizens’ constitutional rights and ensure that its decisions did not restrict democratic participation.
The Social Democratic Party (SDP), through its National Chairman, Prof. Sadiq Gombe, also called on the judiciary, security agencies and INEC to remain impartial and protect the electoral process.
Speaking in Abuja after a meeting with the party’s nine governorship candidates, Gombe accused the APC of attempting to infiltrate opposition parties and weaken their structures ahead of the elections.
He said the SDP was working with other opposition parties on joint training of party agents and the establishment of common situation rooms to protect votes during the elections.
The party reaffirmed its commitment to presenting Prince Adewole Adebayo and Prof. Usman Bugaje as its presidential and vice-presidential candidates respectively.
Okorie warns of anarchy as stakeholders urge appeal
THE ruling has also attracted criticism from lawyers, politicians and civil society figures, with several stakeholders expressing concern about its implications for the electoral process.
Founding National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Chief Chekwas Okorie, described the judgment as an “invitation to anarchy”, warning that its timing could heighten political tension.
He said delivering such a ruling while candidates were already campaigning for the 2027 elections could create perceptions of exclusion and trigger reactions that might prove difficult to contain.
“For a law court to choose this time to give this kind of ruling when all candidates are in the field campaigning for votes in the 2027 elections sends a bad signal,” he said.
Okorie, who recalled warning President Bola Tinubu in an open letter in March about rising political tension, urged the judiciary to ensure that outstanding appeals were resolved promptly and that the country conducted credible elections.
A partner at the law firm of Tayo Oyetibo, Paul Mgbeoma, advised the ADC to file an immediate appeal, expressing confidence that the party had competent lawyers to pursue the matter.
He said the judgment had serious implications for the ADC as a political institution, its leadership, presidential aspirants and candidates contesting other elective positions.
According to him, the court had invalidated the leadership arrangements and nominations made under the Mark-led NWC, including Atiku’s presidential ticket.
He, however, clarified that the decision did not amount to the deregistration of the ADC or extinguish the constitutional rights of its members to participate in elections.
“The ADC cannot simply proceed as though nothing has happened. Even if the party immediately files an appeal, it must contend with the fact that the subsisting judgment has purportedly invalidated the very authority under which its candidates emerged,” he said.
Mgbeoma expressed the hope that appellate courts would expedite the determination of pre-election disputes filed ahead of the general election.
The Yoruba Ronu Leadership Forum also faulted the judgment, with its President, Akin Malaolu, questioning the timing and circumstances surrounding the decision.
The group cited alleged attempts to frustrate Atiku’s campaign flag-off in Sokoto, threats of treason by members of the APC presidential campaign media team and an earlier judgment in a separate suit seeking the ADC’s deregistration.
It urged political leaders to avoid actions capable of heightening tension and called on the judiciary to ensure that its decisions were founded on established legal principles.
Former Chief Executive Officer of Leadership Newspapers, Dele Fanimo, blamed Mark and Aregbesola for the party’s predicament, arguing that political leaders should take responsibility for ensuring compliance with established party procedures.
He, however, dismissed allegations that the APC, Tinubu, INEC and the judiciary were working together to undermine the ADC.
The Lagos State governorship candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Laja Adeoye, also urged the ADC to explore available legal avenues, warning that prolonged litigation could weaken opposition unity ahead of the elections.
Gombe hails verdict, APC denies involvement
MEANWHILE, Gombe, who instituted the suit, commended Justice Lifu for what he described as the independent, impartial and courageous handling of the leadership dispute.
In a statement on Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025, he praised the judge for determining the matter based on constitutional and statutory provisions rather than political considerations.
He argued that political parties were required to comply with their constitutions and the Electoral Act in determining their leadership structures.
“Political parties are not above their own constitutions, and the Electoral Act is not a mere suggestion,” he said.
Gombe said the ruling reinforced the right of aggrieved party members to seek redress through the courts and expressed appreciation to his lawyers and supporters for their roles throughout the proceedings.
However, the APC National Chairman, Nentawe Yilwatda, denied allegations that the ruling party or President Tinubu had any involvement in the ADC leadership crisis.
Yilwatda, who spoke through his media aide, Abimbola Tooki, described the dispute as an internal leadership problem arising from the manner in which Mark and Aregbesola assumed control of the opposition party.
He argued that the two politicians, given their experience in party administration, ought to have anticipated the legal complications arising from the process.
The APC chairman recalled that his party had experienced a similar leadership challenge in Zamfara State, insisting that internal disputes arising from failure to comply with established party procedures were not evidence of political interference.
He maintained that the ADC should take responsibility for resolving its leadership crisis rather than blame the ruling party or the President.
