A Federal High Court in Abuja has upheld the leadership of Nigeria’s African Democratic Congress under former Senate President David Mark, dismissing a legal challenge brought by lawmaker **Leke Abejide> against the party’s leadership transition.
In a judgment delivered on Wednesday, Justice Musa Liman ruled that the suit lacked merit, affirming the legitimacy of the ADC’s current leadership and upholding preliminary objections filed by the party, its former National Chairman Ralph Nwosu, Mark and National Secretary Rauf Aregbesola.
The court held that it lacked jurisdiction because the dispute concerned the internal affairs of a political party, which it described as non-justiciable under Nigerian law.
Justice Liman also ruled that Abejide lacked the legal standing to bring the case, finding that he failed to demonstrate how the emergence of the party’s new leadership violated any of his legal rights.
According to the court, the lawmaker also failed to exhaust the ADC’s internal dispute resolution mechanisms before seeking judicial intervention.
The judge further resolved all substantive issues in the case in favour of the defendants, ruling that the leadership transition complied with both the ADC constitution and Nigeria’s Electoral Act, 2026.
The judgment found that Nwosu’s transfer of leadership during a stakeholders’ meeting on July 2, 2025, did not breach the party’s constitution and preceded the National Executive Committee meeting held on July 29, 2025, where Mark and Aregbesola were formally confirmed as National Chairman and National Secretary under the supervision of the Independent National Electoral Commission.
Justice Liman concluded that the process leading to the emergence of the party’s leadership complied with applicable legal and constitutional requirements.
The court also imposed financial penalties on the plaintiff, awarding ₦2 million in costs to each of the defendants. In addition, Abejide’s legal counsel was ordered to pay ₦10 million in costs pursuant to provisions of the Electoral Act, 2026.
Abejide had asked the court to invalidate the July 2025 leadership handover, arguing that the appointments of Mark and Aregbesola violated the ADC constitution and relevant electoral laws. He also sought orders restraining the two officials from acting as the party’s national leaders and preventing INEC from recognising them in those positions.
The ruling is expected to reinforce the legal standing of the ADC’s current leadership ahead of future political activities, removing uncertainty over the party’s national executive structure.