Court backs David Mark as ADC leader, dismisses Abejide's case

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday confirmed the leadership of the African Democratic Congress, led by former Senate President David Mark. This ruling came after a member of the House of Representatives, Leke Abejide, challenged the party’s leadership structure in court.

Justice Musa Liman gave the judgment. He stated that Abejide's suit had no merit. He also said the case was not justiciable because it dealt with the internal matters of a political party.

The court supported the preliminary objections filed by the ADC, its former National Chairman Ralph Nwosu, the current National Chairman David Mark, and the party’s National Secretary Rauf Aregbesola.

Justice Liman ruled that Abejide could not prove that his legal rights were violated by the new leadership. He pointed out that the lawmaker did not use the party’s internal dispute resolution process before going to court.

The court explained that issues about the leadership and internal management of political parties are usually not within the courts’ jurisdiction. This is unless there is a clear violation of the law or infringement of a member’s legal rights.

On the main issues, the court ruled in favor of the defendants. It found that the change of leadership from Nwosu to Mark did not violate the ADC Constitution or the Electoral Act.

Justice Liman also stated that the stakeholders’ meeting on July 2, 2025, which came before the National Executive Committee meeting on July 29, 2025, was part of the proper process that brought Mark in as National Chairman and Aregbesola as National Secretary.

He noted that the Independent National Electoral Commission monitored the NEC meeting, which added credibility to the process. The judge declared that the rise of Mark and Aregbesola followed the ADC Constitution and the Electoral Act.

As part of the ruling, the court ordered Abejide to pay litigation costs of N2 million each to all the defendants. It also ordered him to pay N10 million against his counsel under the provisions of the Electoral Act.

Abejide had filed a suit on February 15, with the case number FHC/ABJ/CS/1637/2025. He wanted to cancel the transfer of leadership from Nwosu to Mark and Aregbesola, claiming the process was unlawful.

He named the ADC, Nwosu, Mark, Aregbesola, and the Independent National Electoral Commission as defendants. Among his requests, Abejide wanted the court to annul the July 2, 2025, handover event at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja. He argued that Mark and Aregbesola’s appointments did not meet the Electoral Act's requirements.

He also sought orders to stop both leaders from performing their official roles and asked the court to prevent INEC from recognizing them as the ADC’s National Chairman and National Secretary.

Justice Liman, however, dismissed all of Abejide's claims and confirmed the current leadership of the African Democratic Congress.

The African Democratic Congress has seen a change in leadership as opposition politicians aim to strengthen the party ahead of the 2027 general elections. David Mark became the party’s National Chairman, while Aregbesola took on the role of National Secretary. These changes have drawn political attention and legal disputes from some party members.