Court voids Atiku’s 2027 ticket, sacks Mark-led ADC leadership

A Federal High Court in Abuja has sacked the leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) led by former Senate President David Mark, and nullified the 2027 presidential nomination of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar.

Delivering judgment on Thursday, Justice Peter Odo Lifu ruled that the emergence of the Mark-led caretaker committee and other national officers, including prominent political figures like former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola, was fundamentally unlawful.

The court declared that all actions taken by the disputed leadership, including the primary elections that produced Atiku as the party’s flag bearer and selected former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi as his running mate, stand completely voided.

The legal challenge was instituted by Nafiu Bala Gombe, the former National Deputy Chairman (North-East) of the ADC. Gombe challenged the process through which David Mark and his allies assumed control of the opposition party following the resignation of former national chairman Ralph Nwosu.

Gombe argued that under the party’s internal structural guidelines and constitution, he was legally entitled to assume interim leadership following Nwosu’s departure. Sustaining the plaintiff’s arguments, Justice Lifu agreed that the processes that brought Mark and other high-profile defectors into the party’s hierarchy bypassed statutory provisions.

The court further held that because the leadership structure itself was illegal, every candidate nominated under its supervision – spanning presidential, gubernatorial, senate, and house of assembly tickets for the upcoming 2027 general elections – lacks legal validity.

The lawyer for Gombe, the complainant, Luka Musa Haruna, noted the sweeping nature of the verdict:

“The judgement leaves the ADC without legitimate candidates for any elective position in the 2027 elections, from the presidency down to the House of Assembly,” Haruna stated.

Party vows to appeal

The court ruling comes barely 24 hours after Atiku Abubakar held a high-profile campaign rally in Sokoto State, aiming to galvanize support as opposition leaders attempt to build a formidable coalition against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Reacting to the judgement, the party’s national welfare secretary, Nkemakolam Ukandu, who was joined in the suit as an interested party, announced that the ADC would immediately approach the Court of Appeal to overturn the ruling.

“We disagree with the decision and will test it at the appellate court,” Ukandu said. “The party remains resolute, and our legal team is already filing the necessary papers to challenge this outcome.”