Court Upholds David Mark-Led ADC Leadership, Dismisses Abejide’s Suit, Awards ₦18 Million Costs

The leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) under former Senate President David Mark has received a major legal boost after the Federal High Court in Abuja dismissed a suit challenging its legitimacy and affirmed the party’s current leadership.

Delivering judgment on Thursday, Justice Musa Liman ruled that the case filed by House of Representatives member Leke Abejide lacked merit. The court upheld the preliminary objections raised by the ADC, former National Chairman Ralph Nwosu, David Mark and former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola, effectively bringing the legal challenge to an end.

Justice Liman held that the dispute centred on the internal affairs of the party, making it a non-justiciable matter beyond the court’s jurisdiction. He further ruled that Abejide failed to establish that his legal rights had been violated by the emergence of the current leadership and did not exhaust the party’s internal dispute resolution mechanisms before approaching the court.

The judge also resolved all the substantive issues in favour of the defendants, declaring that the transition of leadership from Nwosu to Mark did not violate the ADC constitution or any relevant electoral law.

The court found that the stakeholders’ meeting held on July 2, 2025, which preceded the party’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting on July 29, 2025, complied with due process. It also noted that the NEC meeting, where Mark and Aregbesola emerged as the party’s National Chairman and National Secretary, was monitored by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Justice Liman consequently declared that the emergence of David Mark and Rauf Aregbesola as leaders of the ADC was valid and consistent with the party’s constitution and the provisions of the Electoral Act 2026.

Beyond dismissing the suit, the court imposed financial penalties on the plaintiff. Abejide was ordered to pay ₦2 million each to the defendants, amounting to ₦8 million, while an additional ₦10 million cost was awarded against his counsel in line with the Electoral Act 2026.

Abejide had sought to nullify the July 2, 2025, leadership transition, arguing that the appointment of Mark and Aregbesola was unlawful. He also asked the court to restrain both men from acting as leaders of the party and to stop INEC from recognising them. Thursday’s judgment, however, rejected all of his claims and reaffirmed the legitimacy of the ADC’s current leadership.