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By Lawrence Agbo
The Federal High Court in Abuja has affirmed the leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) headed by former Senate President David Mark and former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola, dismissing a suit challenging their appointments.
Delivering judgment on Thursday, Justice Musa Liman ruled that the case filed by House of Representatives member Leke Abejide lacked merit and could not be entertained by the court because it concerned the internal affairs of a political party.
The court held that Abejide failed to establish that his rights had been violated by the emergence of the current ADC leadership and noted that he did not first explore the party’s internal dispute resolution mechanism before approaching the court.
Justice Liman also ruled that the process through which former ADC National Chairman Ralph Nwosu handed over the party’s leadership to Mark did not breach the party’s constitution or the Electoral Act.
According to the court, the stakeholders’ meeting held on July 2, 2025, was a valid precursor to the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of July 29, 2025, where Mark and Aregbesola emerged as the party’s national chairman and national secretary, respectively, under the supervision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
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The judge declared that their emergence complied with the ADC constitution, the Electoral Act, 2026, and other applicable laws.
As part of the judgment, the court ordered Abejide to pay ₦2 million in costs to each of the defendants, including the ADC, David Mark, Rauf Aregbesola, Ralph Nwosu and INEC.
Justice Liman also imposed a ₦10 million cost against Abejide’s lawyer in line with the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2026.
Abejide had asked the court to nullify the appointment of Mark and Aregbesola, arguing that the transfer of leadership by Nwosu was unlawful and seeking an order restraining INEC from recognising them as the party’s leaders.
With the ruling, the legal challenge against the David Mark-led leadership of the ADC has been dismissed, leaving the party’s current leadership structure intact.
