A Federal High Court in Abuja has affirmed the leadership of former Senate President David Mark as National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), dismissing a suit filed by House of Representatives member Leke Abejide challenging the party’s leadership structure.
The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has upheld the emergence of former Senate President David Mark as the National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), dealing a significant legal victory to the party’s current leadership ahead of preparations for the 2027 general elections. The court dismissed a suit instituted by Rep. Leke Abejide, describing it as lacking merit.
Delivering judgment, Justice Musa Liman upheld the preliminary objections filed by the ADC, its former National Chairman Ralph Nwosu, National Chairman David Mark, and National Secretary Rauf Aregbesola.
The judge ruled that the dispute bordered on the internal affairs of a political party, making it non-justiciable and therefore outside the court’s jurisdiction.
Justice Liman further held that Abejide failed to establish that his legal rights had been violated by the emergence of the current leadership and noted that he did not exhaust the party’s internal dispute resolution mechanism before approaching the court.
The judgment comes amid lingering leadership disputes within the ADC following the transition of the party’s leadership from Ralph Nwosu to David Mark, with Rauf Aregbesola emerging as National Secretary.
The leadership changes have generated multiple legal challenges as the party continues to position itself ahead of the 2027 elections and the influx of prominent opposition politicians into its ranks.
In its ruling, the court resolved all the issues raised in the suit in favour of the defendants and affirmed that the transfer of leadership to David Mark did not contravene the ADC constitution.
The judgment effectively reinforces the legitimacy of the current National Working Committee led by David Mark while dismissing Abejide’s challenge in its entirety.
The ruling represents a major boost for the David Mark-led leadership as the ADC intensifies preparations for the 2027 general elections. It also provides temporary legal clarity over the party’s national leadership, although other related cases involving rival factions remain before the courts.