The Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday affirmed Senator David Mark and Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola as national chairman and national secretary of the of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Justice Musa Liman, who gave the judgment, also dismissed the suit filed by a member of the House of Representatives, Leke Abejide challenging the Mark leadership of the party for lacking in merit.
The judge held that the court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the matter because it bordered on the internal affairs of a political party, which he described as non-justiciable.
He also ruled that Abejide lacked the legal standing to institute the suit, having failed to demonstrate how his rights were violated by the emergence of the current ADC leadership.
In a swift reaction, the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar said the verdict was not only a victory for the ADC but also for constitutional democracy, party autonomy and the rule of law.
“The court could not have been clearer. It rightly held that the matter borders on the internal affairs of the ADC, that the Federal High Court lacks jurisdiction, and that the plaintiffs neither exhausted the internal remedies provided by the party’s constitution nor established the locus standi required to invoke the jurisdiction of the court,” he said.
Atiku, in a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu,
commended Justice Liman for refusing, in his words, to allow the judiciary to become “an extension of partisan political warfare.”
He described the ruling as a significant affirmation of judicial independence at a time when, according to him, “desperate political actors” are allegedly seeking to weaken the opposition through the courts.
Justice Liman had upheld the preliminary objections raised by the ADC, its former National Chairman, Ralph Nwosu, ex-Senate President Mark and former Osun governor Aregbesola.
He also ruled that the Reps member did not exhaust the party’s internal dispute resolution mechanism before approaching the court.
On whether Mark and Aregbesola emerged as leaders of the party in compliance with the enabling laws, Justice Liman resolved this against Abejide, the plaintiff in the suit.
He held that the handing over of the leadership of the party by Nwosu to Mark did not violate the provisions of the party’s constitution.
The judge agreed that the disputed July 2, 2025, meeting of ADC was a stakeholder meeting which preceded the party’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held on July 29, 2025, that produced Mark and Aregbesola as party leaders, which was monitored by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
He, therefore, declared that the emergence of Mark and Aregbesola as leaders of the ADC was valid and in accordance with the constitution, the Electoral Act, 2026 and the party’s law.
The judge consequently awarded a fine of N2 million each in favour of all the defendants, which shall be paid by Abejide.
He also awarded a N10 million fine against Abejide’s lawyer in compliance with the Electoral Act, 2026.
Abejide had, in the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1637/2025 and filed on February 15, sued the ADC, Nwosu, Mark, Aregbesola and INEC, seeking to nullify the July 2, 2025 handover of the party’s leadership.
Among other reliefs, the lawmaker sought an order restraining Mark and Aregbesola from parading themselves as the party’s national chairman and national secretary and an injunction stopping INEC from recognising them as ADC leaders.
He argued that their emergence did not comply with the party’s constitution and the relevant provisions of the Electoral Act.
In his statement, Atiku alleged that opposition parties had faced repeated attempts at destabilisation through proxy litigation and institutional manipulation, but insisted that Thursday’s judgment demonstrated that the courts remained committed to justice and the Constitution.
“Today’s decision is a resounding affirmation that the judiciary remains the last hope of the common man and cannot be intimidated into legitimising political mischief,” the former Vice President said.