A fresh Federal High Court judgment has thrown the African Democratic Congress into deeper turmoil, dealing another potentially devastating blow to former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar’s 2027 presidential ambition and raising fresh questions about the party’s leadership, legitimacy and electoral future.
The political storm gathering over the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has taken a dramatic turn, with a Federal High Court in Abuja delivering a judgment that could upend the party’s preparations for the 2027 general elections and leave Atiku Abubakar’s presidential ambition hanging in the balance.
In a ruling delivered on November 5, Justice Peter Lifu invalidated the emergence of the National Working Committee (NWC) led by former Senate President, Senator David Mark, declaring all decisions taken by the disputed leadership since July 29, 2025, null and void.
The sweeping pronouncement effectively struck at the foundation of the Mark-led leadership, including decisions relating to the party’s presidential nomination process and Atiku’s emergence as its presidential candidate for the 2027 election.
But that was not all.
In another consequential finding, the court rejected a resignation letter allegedly written by the ADC’s former Deputy National Chairman, Nafiu Bala Gombe, ruling that the document had not been established as genuine.
The judgment has further complicated an already bitter leadership struggle, exposing the party to a fresh wave of uncertainty at a critical moment in the countdown to the next general election.
Although Justice Lifu stopped short of declaring Gombe the substantive National Chairman, he ruled that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) must recognise him as the only elected member of the party’s NWC whose four-year tenure remained valid.
The judge, however, distinguished between invalidating the Mark-led leadership and automatically conferring a leadership position on Gombe.
“I must, however, distinguish the invalidity of a process from the plaintiff’s claim to automatic succession,” the judge held.
He explained that although Gombe’s position as the only elected NWC member who had not resigned could be relevant to the party’s administration, it did not automatically establish his entitlement to a particular national office.
The court consequently restrained INEC from recognising Mark, former Interior Minister Rauf Aregbesola and other members of their disputed NWC as national officers of the ADC.
It also barred Mark and Aregbesola from presenting themselves as national officers of the party and dismissed the defendants’ counterclaim.
A JUDGMENT THAT ROCKS ATIKU’S AMBITION
For Atiku, the timing and implications of the judgment could hardly be more troubling.
The former Vice-President, who has been positioning himself for another presidential contest in 2027, now faces a potentially serious political setback arising from the very party platform expected to carry his ambition.
By nullifying the decisions of the Mark-led NWC, the court effectively questioned the validity of the political structure under which Atiku's ADC candidacy emerged.
While the judgment does not amount to a final determination of Atiku’s eligibility to contest the 2027 election, its implications for his party nomination are significant.
The immediate danger is that the ADC could find itself fighting on two fronts: a bruising leadership battle and a potentially destabilising dispute over the legitimacy of its candidates.
The case, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025, was instituted by Gombe against the ADC, INEC, Mark, Aregbesola and former National Chairman Ralph Nwosu.
Gombe challenged the emergence of the Mark-led leadership at the party’s 99th National Executive Committee meeting in July 2025, arguing that vacancies created by the resignation of the previous leadership could only be filled through democratic elections.
Rejecting the defendants’ argument that the dispute concerned the internal affairs of the party, Justice Lifu held that political parties were not above the law.
He ruled that the emergence of Mark and Aregbesola had not been demonstrated to satisfy the requirement for democratic elections under Section 82(3) of the Electoral Act 2022.
THE RESIGNATION LETTER THAT SPARKED ANOTHER BATTLE
At the heart of the controversy is a resignation letter allegedly signed by Gombe, which the Mark-led faction had relied upon to argue that he voluntarily relinquished his position before the leadership transition.
Gombe, however, repeatedly denied authoring the document, describing it as forged.
In his judgment, Justice Lifu said the fact that the document was certified did not automatically establish that Gombe had signed it.
He disclosed that he compared the disputed signature on Exhibit ADC-1 with signatures on Gombe’s sworn statements and found material differences.
“I am not satisfied that Exhibit ADC-1 represents the genuine act of the plaintiff,” the judge ruled.
He consequently rejected the document as reliable evidence that Gombe had voluntarily resigned as Deputy National Chairman.
The finding dealt a major blow to the argument advanced by the Mark-led faction to justify the party's leadership transition.
But the ADC has strongly rejected the court’s position.
Its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, accused the judge of disregarding evidence and insisted that the party possessed the original resignation letter bearing Gombe’s signature.
According to him, INEC also had a copy of the document.
Abdullahi described the ruling as erroneous and confirmed that the party would challenge it at the Court of Appeal.
He maintained that the document was genuine and questioned the basis for the court’s conclusion that it was not authentic.
The ADC is therefore preparing for another legal confrontation, with the disputed resignation letter likely to remain a central issue in the appeal.
ADC CAMPAIGN COUNCIL FIRES BACK
The ADC Presidential Campaign Council has also challenged Gombe’s position, alleging that he previously acknowledged Mark as the party’s National Chairman during a National Executive Committee meeting.
The council’s Director of Media and Publicity, Kola Ologbondiyan, forwarded a video purportedly showing Gombe referring to Mark as the party’s National Chairman.
“That’s Nafiu Bala at the NEC meeting. Now, he is denying, and Lifu is supporting it,” Ologbondiyan said.
The allegation has introduced another layer of controversy into the crisis, with rival camps now trading accusations over who has the legitimate authority to speak for the party.
INEC HOLDS ITS FIRE
Amid the escalating political drama, INEC has adopted a cautious position, insisting that it will not act on the judgment until it obtains and studies the Certified True Copy (CTC).
The commission’s National Commissioner and Chairman of its Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, disclosed this during a webinar organised by the PUNCH Media Foundation.
He explained that the commission’s legal department would first examine the judgment and advise the relevant committee before recommendations were submitted to the commission.
According to him, INEC cannot take a decision based solely on reports of the judgment.
“We can’t rush the courts, but we do our own part,” Haruna said.
He explained that obtaining certified copies of judgments involves judicial administrative procedures, adding that the commission had already taken steps to secure the document.
Until the CTC is obtained and reviewed, INEC says it has no immediate action to take.
PROTESTS, PETITIONS AS ADC TAKES ITS BATTLE BEYOND THE COURTROOM
The judgment has also triggered protests and diplomatic appeals, with ADC candidates warning that their political future could be jeopardised if the ruling is implemented before the party exhausts its constitutional right of appeal.
Under the Forum of ADC Candidates in Nigeria, the candidates petitioned the United Nations, the United States Embassy, the British High Commission, the European Union and ECOWAS.
In a petition signed on behalf of the forum by Audu Aliyu, the candidates accused the delay in releasing the CTC of frustrating their efforts to challenge the judgment.
They argued that the ruling, if implemented before the appeal process, could remove candidates of a major opposition party from the 2027 electoral contest.
The forum said its lawyers applied for the certified judgment immediately after the November 5 ruling and paid the prescribed fees.
However, five days later, the document had reportedly not been released.
The candidates subsequently petitioned the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, over the delay.
They insisted that their disagreement with the judgment should not be interpreted as disrespect for the judiciary.
“We respect the Courts, and we disagree with this judgment,” the petition stated, adding that the candidates would abide by the final decision of the highest court of competent jurisdiction after exhausting all available appeal processes.
The controversy also spilled onto the streets of Abuja, where ADC supporters staged a protest at the Federal High Court premises, demanding the immediate release of the judgment.
Led by former Acting ADC Chairman in the Federal Capital Territory, Yusuf Shehu Tijani, the protesters called on the National Judicial Council to intervene.
Tijani described the judgment as a sham and accused the court of frustrating the party’s right to appeal.
He also questioned the ruling in view of what he described as an earlier Supreme Court affirmation of Mark’s leadership.
The protesters insisted that they could not exercise their constitutional right of appeal without access to the certified judgment.
APC MANIFESTO BECOMES ANOTHER POLITICAL BATTLEGROUND
While battling the fallout from the court judgment, the ADC Presidential Campaign Council has opened another front against President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress over its newly unveiled 2027–2031 manifesto.
The opposition campaign council dismissed the document, titled _From Reforms to Prosperity Agenda_, describing it as a recycled collection of promises that Nigerians had already heard during the 2023 presidential campaign.
In a statement signed by Ologbondiyan, the council accused the Tinubu administration of failing to deliver on promises of stable electricity, affordable food, a stronger naira, employment opportunities and improved national security.
It argued that Nigerians had instead endured rising living costs, food inflation, currency depreciation and persistent insecurity.
“What President Bola Tinubu unveiled today is not a new manifesto. It is a repackaged catalogue of failed promises,” the statement declared.
The council also questioned how the revenues generated from petrol subsidy removal, additional taxes and accumulated borrowing had translated into improved living conditions and tangible development.
It maintained that economic reforms without adequate social protection had imposed unbearable hardship on ordinary Nigerians.
The ADC further accused the APC of relying on political handouts and gifts to manufacture public support ahead of the 2027 elections.
In a separate statement signed by its Director of Strategic Communication, Phrank Shaibu, the council alleged that money, food and luxury gifts were being distributed at political gatherings.
It called on INEC and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to investigate the reported incidents.
WHAT NEXT FOR ATIKU AND THE ADC?
With the 2027 general elections approaching, the ADC now faces one of the most consequential crises in its recent political history.
The Mark-led faction has vowed to challenge the judgment, while Gombe's legal victory has raised fresh questions about the party's leadership structure and the validity of decisions taken over the past year.
INEC's next move will also be crucial, particularly as the commission awaits the certified judgment before determining its position.
For Atiku, the stakes are considerably higher.
His presidential ambition now faces uncertainty over the legitimacy of the party structure through which his candidacy was produced.
The Court of Appeal could yet overturn or vary the judgment, but until the legal battle is resolved, the ADC's preparations for 2027 remain clouded by uncertainty.
What began as a dispute over a party leadership transition has now grown into a battle with far-reaching consequences for opposition politics, electoral participation and the future of one of Nigeria's most prominent presidential hopefuls.
And with rival factions digging in, protests mounting and INEC holding back, the biggest question confronting the ADC is no longer simply who controls the party.
It is whether the party can put its house in order before the 2027 election race leaves it behind.
Editorial note: I have retained the central claims and attributed disputed allegations to the individuals or groups making them. The story should undergo factual and legal verification before publication, particularly the judgment date, the CTC timeline and the precise legal effect on Atiku’s nomination.
2027: Court Ruling Deepens Atiku’s Crisis as ADC Leadership Feud Intensifies
