BY AHMED AKANBI

The Federal High Court in Abuja has validated the leadership of David Mark and Rauf Aregbesola in the African Democratic Congress, ADC, dismissing a suit that sought to unseat them ahead of the 2027 elections.

Delivering judgment on Thursday, Justice Musa Liman threw out the case filed by House of Representatives member, Leke Abejide, saying it lacked merit and that the court had no jurisdiction over the party’s internal affairs.

Justice Liman held that Abejide lacked legal standing because he did not show how his rights were violated by the emergence of Mark as National Chairman and Aregbesola as National Secretary.

The judge also faulted the lawmaker for bypassing ADC’s internal dispute resolution mechanisms before heading to court.

The court ordered Abejide to pay N2 million each to all the defendants in the suit. It also fined the plaintiff’s counsel N10 million under the Electoral Act. The penalties were described by observers as a heavy price for the failed challenge.

The judge dismissed all substantive claims and affirmed that the transfer of leadership from former National Chairman Ralph Nwosu to Mark complied with the ADC constitution.

He upheld the validity of the stakeholders’ meeting of July 2, 2025, at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre, and the NEC meeting of July 29, 2025, where Mark and Aregbesola emerged.

According to the court, the NEC meeting was duly monitored by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

The judge ruled that the emergence of the new leadership was therefore consistent with the party’s constitution and Nigeria’s electoral laws.

Abejide had filed Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1637/2025 on February 15, asking the court to nullify Nwosu’s handover to Mark and Aregbesola for allegedly violating Section 82 of the Electoral Act, 2022.

He also sought to restrain both men and stop INEC from recognising them. The court rejected all the reliefs.

The ruling strengthens the legal footing of the Mark-led ADC amid lingering internal disagreements.