The Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday 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 new leadership.
Justice Musa Liman held that the court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the case because it concerned the internal affairs of a political party, adding that Abejide failed to establish that his rights had been violated or exhaust the party’s internal dispute resolution mechanisms before approaching the court.
The judge also upheld the preliminary objections filed by the ADC, its former National Chairman Ralph Nwosu, David Mark and former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola, before dismissing the suit for lacking merit.
Justice Liman ruled that Abejide had no legal standing to challenge the emergence of Mark and Aregbesola as the party’s National Chairman and National Secretary respectively, saying the lawmaker failed to demonstrate any infringement of his rights.
The court further held that the July 2, 2025 stakeholders’ meeting, where Nwosu handed over the party’s leadership to Mark, did not contravene the ADC constitution. Justice Liman found that the stakeholders’ meeting preceded the party’s National Executive Committee meeting held on July 29, 2025, which formally produced Mark and Aregbesola as party leaders under the supervision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
According to the court, the emergence of the new leadership complied with the ADC constitution, the Electoral Act 2026 and other relevant legal provisions, making the appointments valid.
Justice Liman consequently resolved all the issues raised in the substantive suit in favour of the defendants.
The court also imposed financial penalties on the plaintiff, ordering Abejide to pay N2 million each to all the defendants. In addition, the judge awarded N10 million against Abejide’s counsel for filing the suit, citing the provisions of the Electoral Act 2026.
Abejide had approached the court seeking to nullify the July 2, 2025 handover of the party’s leadership by former National Chairman Ralph Nwosu to Mark and Aregbesola. He also sought orders restraining the duo from acting as ADC leaders and preventing INEC from recognising them, arguing that their emergence violated the Electoral Act and the party’s constitution.
However, the court dismissed all the reliefs sought, affirming the legitimacy of the Mark-led leadership.
... Court Affirms David Mark-Led ADC Leadership, Dismisses Abejide’s Suit ... Naijaonpoint.