The Federal High Court, Abuja, yesterday dismissed a suit filed by a member of the House of Representatives, Leke Abejide, for lack of merit, upholding the leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), led by former Senate President David Mark.
Mark describes the court verdict that upheld his leadership of the party as a victory for democracy and justice as it also reinforces Nigeria’s constitutional order beyond the party itself.
Also, the presidential candidate of ADC, Atiku Abubakar, commended the judiciary for showing courage, independence and fidelity to the Constitution in the face of “sustained attempts by desperate political actors to weaponise the courts against the opposition”.
ADC has commended the court for throwing out the case and said the ruling put to rest lingering court cases on the party’s leadership.
Justice Musa Liman, delivering judgment, upheld the preliminary objections raised by the ADC, its former National Chairman, Ralph Nwosu; Mark and its National Secretary, Rauf Aregbesola.
The judge held that the court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the matter as it bordered on the internal affairs of a political party which he described as non-justiciable.
Justice Liman also held that Abejide lacked the legal standing to institute the suit, having failed to establish how his rights were violated by the emergence of the present ADC leadership.
He also ruled that the lawmaker had not exhausted the party’s internal dispute resolution mechanism before coming to the court.
The judge also ruled in favour of the defendants on the issues raised in the substantive suit.
Liman stated that the emergence of Mark and Aregbesola as the party’s leaders was legal, as the transfer of leadership by Nwosu did not violate the ADC constitution. The July 2, 2025 stakeholders’ meeting, where Nwosu handed over the party’s leadership, was held before the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of July 29, 2025, which formally produced Mark and Aregbesola as the party’s national chairman and national secretary, respectively, under the supervision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The court ruled that the emergence of the duo was in line with the ADC constitution and the Electoral Act, 2026.
Thereafter, Justice Liman awarded costs of N2 million each against Abejide in favour of the defendants. He also ordered that the counsel to Abejide should pay N10 million as costs in accordance with the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2026.
Abejide, in the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1637/2025, 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.
The lawmaker among other reliefs sought an order restraining Mark and Aregbesola from parading themselves as the national chairman and national secretary of the party, and an injunction restraining INEC from recognising them as ADC leadership, contending that their emergence did not follow the party’s constitution and the relevant provisions of the Electoral Act.
The ruling might have put the lid on the fight for leadership of the ADC, but Mark said it has wider implications for the party.
The party chairman said the judgement reaffirmed the independence of the judiciary and bolstered confidence in Nigeria’s democratic process, as well as the right of political parties to operate without interference.
Mark made the comments in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Kola Ologbondiyan, who described the judgment as another milestone in Nigeria’s democratic journey and restated the ADC’s commitment to constitutional governance.
He said, “This is not just a victory for our party but a victory for democracy, justice and every Nigerian that believes in a vibrant political system where ideas compete freely and the will of the people ultimately prevails.”
The judgment, he said, vindicated ADC’s long-standing belief in multi-party democracy, the rule of law and the constitutional right of Nigerians to freely associate and participate in the political process.
REACTING to the ruling, Atiku, through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, described the decision as a victory not just for the party, but for constitutional democracy and the rule of law.
He said the decision of the court reaffirmed the settled legal principle that political parties are governed by their constitutions and that internal disputes must first be resolved through the mechanisms provided therein.
“[T]he court could not have been clearer. It rightly held that the matter is bordering 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,” the statement read.
The former Vice President praised Justice Liman for refusing to allow the judiciary to be turned into an extension of partisan political warfare, saying the ruling was a reminder that “while political desperation may cast temporary shadows over our democracy, truth and justice will ultimately prevail.”
