The Federal High Court in Abuja has upheld the leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), confirming former Senate President David Mark as the party’s National Chairman and dismissing a lawsuit seeking to remove him from office.
Justice Musa Liman began the ruling on Thursday, throwing out the suit filed by House of Representatives member Leke Abejide, who had challenged the emergence of Mark and the party’s National Secretary, Rauf Aregbesola.
The judge ruled that the case lacked merit, explaining that it concerned the internal affairs of a political party, an area where the court has no jurisdiction to interfere.
Justice Liman also held that Abejide failed to prove that his legal rights had been violated by the party’s leadership change.
He further added that the lawmaker did not first exhaust the ADC’s internal dispute resolution process before approaching the court.
In addition, the court ruled that the process that produced David Mark and Aregbesola complied with both the ADC constitution and the Electoral Act, 2026.
According to the judgment, former ADC National Chairman Ralph Nwosu lawfully handed over the party’s leadership during a stakeholders’ meeting on July 2, 2025, before the National Executive Committee later ratified the appointments of Mark and Aregbesola under the supervision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
With the ruling, the court effectively confirmed David Mark and Aregbesola as the legitimate leaders of the ADC.
Justice Liman also awarded costs against the plaintiff, ordering Abejide to pay ₦2 million to each of the defendants.
The court further directed Abejide’s counsel to pay an additional ₦10 million in costs in line with the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2026.
Abejide had asked the court to nullify the leadership handover, restrain Mark and Aregbesola from presenting themselves as ADC leaders, and stop INEC from recognising them.
However, the court dismissed all his claims, bringing another legal challenge against the party’s leadership to an end.