A Federal High Court in Abuja has affirmed Senator David Mark as the National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and Rauf Aregbesola as National Secretary.
Justice Musa Liman dismissed a suit filed by House of Representatives member Leke Abejide challenging the leadership.
The court ruled the matter was a non-justiciable internal party affair that Abejide lacked the legal standing to institute. The court also said he had not exhausted the internal party dispute resolution mechanisms, and therefore upheld the validity of the leadership transition from former Chairman Ralph Nwosu.
Costs were awarded against the plaintiff, N2 million to each defendant, plus N10 million against his counsel.
On the legality of the emergence of Mark and Aregbesola as the party’s leaders, Justice Liman held that the transfer of leadership by Nwosu did not contravene the ADC constitution.
He held that the July 2, 2025 stakeholders’ meeting, where Nwosu handed over the party’s leadership, preceded the National Executive Committee 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.
The court declared that the emergence of the duo complied with the ADC constitution and the Electoral Act, 2026.
Abejide had, in the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1637/2025 and filed on February 15, sued the ADC, Nwosu, Mark, Aregbesola and the Independent National Electoral Commission, seeking to nullify the July 2, 2025 handover of the party’s leadership.
Among other reliefs, the lawmaker sought an order restraining Mark and Aregbesola from parading themselves as the party’s national chairman and national secretary and an injunction stopping INEC from recognising them as ADC leaders.
He argued that their emergence did not comply with the party’s constitution and the relevant provisions of the Electoral Act.
This outcome comes after months of factional disputes and legal battles.
