The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has affirmed the leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) under National Chairman Sen. David Mark and National Secretary Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola.
The court gave the affirmation while dismissing a suit filed by House of Representatives member Hon. Leke Abejide, challenging the party’s leadership structure.
Presiding Judge Justice Musa Liman resolved all substantive issues in favour of the defendants, ruling that the suit lacked merit and that the leadership transition strictly complied with the party’s constitution and the Electoral Act 2026.
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The court upheld the preliminary objections filed by the ADC, its former National Chairman, Ralph Nwosu, the incumbent National Chairman, David Mark, and the party’s National Secretary, Rauf Aregbesola.
Justice Liman ruled that the leadership dispute falls strictly under the internal affairs of a political party, making it non-justiciable.
The court held that Abejide (representing the Yagba Federal Constituency) failed to show how his specific legal rights were violated and noted that he did not exhaust the party’s internal dispute resolution mechanisms before taking legal action.
The judge clarified that the handover of leadership by the former National Chairman, Chief Ralph Nwosu, to former Senate President David Mark did not breach any laws.
The court noted that the initial July 2, 2025 meeting was a stakeholder session that properly led to the July 29, 2025 National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, which was formally monitored by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Justice Liman awarded N2 million in costs to each of the defendants against Abejide. Additionally, pursuant to the Electoral Act 2026, Abejide’s counsel was ordered to pay N10 million in costs.
