The Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday upheld the leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) under former Senate President David Mark, dismissing a suit brought by House of Representatives member Leke Abejide, who contested the party’s leadership arrangement.
In his judgment, Justice Musa Liman ruled that the case lacked merit and was not justiciable, stating that it concerned the internal affairs of a political party.
The court sustained the preliminary objections raised by the ADC, its immediate past National Chairman, Ralph Nwosu, the current National Chairman, David Mark, and the party’s National Secretary, Rauf Aregbesola.
Justice Liman held that Abejide failed to prove that his legal rights were violated by the emergence of the present leadership.
The judge also found that the lawmaker did not make use of the party’s internal dispute resolution process before taking the matter to court.
The court maintained that issues involving the internal administration and leadership of political parties are generally beyond judicial intervention, except in cases involving clear legal violations or infringement of members’ rights.
On the substantive matters, the court ruled in favour of the defendants, determining that the transfer of leadership from Nwosu to Mark did not violate either the ADC Constitution or the Electoral Act.
Justice Liman further stated that the stakeholders’ meeting held on July 2, 2025, ahead of the party’s National Executive Committee meeting on July 29, 2025, was part of the lawful process that led to the emergence of Mark as National Chairman and Aregbesola as National Secretary.
The judge noted that INEC monitored the NEC meeting, which reinforced the credibility of the exercise.
He therefore declared that the emergence of Mark and Aregbesola was in line with the provisions of both the ADC Constitution and the Electoral Act.
As part of the ruling, the court ordered Abejide to pay N2 million in litigation costs to each of the defendants. It also imposed a N10 million cost against his counsel in accordance with the Electoral Act.
Abejide had filed suit FHC/ABJ/CS/1637/2025 on February 15, seeking to void the transfer of the party’s leadership from Nwosu to Mark and Aregbesola, describing the process as unlawful.
The defendants in the matter included the ADC, Nwosu, Mark, Aregbesola and INEC.
Among his requests, Abejide asked the court to nullify the July 2, 2025, handover ceremony at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja, arguing that the appointments of Mark and Aregbesola were inconsistent with the Electoral Act.
He also sought an order preventing both leaders from acting in their official capacities and urged the court to stop INEC from recognising them as the ADC’s National Chairman and National Secretary.
However, Justice Liman rejected all the claims and reaffirmed the legitimacy of the current ADC leadership.
The African Democratic Congress has undergone a leadership change amid moves by opposition figures to reposition the party ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Former Senate President David Mark assumed the role of National Chairman, while Aregbesola became National Secretary, developments that have generated political attention and legal disputes from some members of the party.