By Amofokhai Williams
The Federal High Court in Abuja has affirmed the leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) under former Senate President, David Mark, dismissing a suit filed by House of Representatives member, Leke Abejide, challenging the legitimacy of the party’s current leadership.
In a judgment delivered on Thursday, Justice Musa Liman held that Abejide’s suit lacked merit and was not justiciable, ruling that the dispute concerned the internal affairs of a political party, an area in which courts generally do not interfere unless there is a clear breach of the law or infringement of legal rights.
The court upheld the preliminary objections raised by the ADC, its former National Chairman, Ralph Nwosu, Mark, the party’s National Secretary, Rauf Aregbesola, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Justice Liman ruled that Abejide failed to demonstrate that any of his legal rights had been violated by the emergence of the Mark-led leadership. The judge also held that the lawmaker did not exhaust the party’s internal dispute resolution mechanism before approaching the court, a prerequisite in disputes arising from party administration.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1637/2025, sought to nullify the transfer of the ADC leadership from Nwosu to Mark as interim national chairman and Aregbesola as interim national secretary.
Abejide argued that the handover, which took place at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja on July 2, 2025, was unlawful and asked the court to restrain both men from parading themselves as leaders of the party. He also sought an order preventing INEC from recognising them as national officers of the ADC.
However, the defendants maintained that the current leadership emerged through a valid National Executive Committee meeting conducted in accordance with the party’s constitution and the Electoral Act.
In his judgment, Justice Liman agreed with the defendants, holding that the emergence of Mark and Aregbesola complied with the provisions of the ADC Constitution and the Electoral Act. He further noted that the National Executive Committee meeting that produced the current leadership was monitored by INEC, reinforcing the credibility of the process.
The court resolved all substantive issues in favour of the defendants and affirmed the legitimacy of the Mark-led National Working Committee, bringing a significant legal victory to the party leadership amid months of internal disputes over its control.
Justice Liman also imposed heavy financial penalties on the plaintiff and his legal team. He ordered Abejide to pay ₦2 million in costs to each of the defendants, while an additional ₦10 million was awarded against his counsel in line with the provisions of the Electoral Act.
