The Federal High Court in Abuja has affirmed the leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) under former Senate President David Mark, dismissing a suit filed by lawmaker Leke Abejide challenging the party’s leadership structure.
In a judgment delivered on Thursday, Justice Musa Liman held that the suit lacked merit and ruled that the court had no jurisdiction to interfere in the internal affairs of the political party.
The court also upheld the preliminary objections raised by the ADC, its former National Chairman Ralph Nwosu, Mark, and former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola, who currently serves as the party’s National Secretary.
Justice Liman ruled that Abejide failed to establish that any of his legal rights had been violated by the emergence of the Mark-led leadership.
According to the court, the matter was non-justiciable because it concerned the internal affairs of the ADC, an area in which courts are generally reluctant to intervene unless a clear breach of statutory provisions or constitutional rights is established.
The judge also held that the lawmaker lacked the legal standing to institute the suit, adding that he did not exhaust the party’s internal dispute resolution mechanisms before approaching the court.
On the substantive issues raised in the suit, Justice Liman resolved all three questions in favour of the defendants.
The court held that the transfer of the party’s leadership from Nwosu to Mark did not violate the ADC constitution or any applicable law.
Justice Liman further found that the July 2, 2025 meeting held at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja was merely a stakeholders’ meeting that preceded the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting on July 29, 2025.
According to the judgment, it was the NEC meeting, monitored by the Independent National Electoral Commission that formally produced Mark as National Chairman and Aregbesola as National Secretary of the party.
The court consequently declared that the emergence of both leaders complied with the ADC constitution, the Electoral Act, 2026, and the party’s internal regulations.
In addition to dismissing the suit, the court awarded costs against the plaintiff.
Justice Liman ordered Abejide to pay N2 million each to all the defendants in the case.
The judge also imposed a N10 million penalty on the lawmaker’s counsel, citing the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2026.
Abejide filed the suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1637/2025, on February 15, seeking to nullify the leadership transition within the ADC.
The lawmaker sued the ADC, Ralph Nwosu, David Mark, Rauf Aregbesola and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as defendants.
Among the eight reliefs sought, Abejide asked the court to declare the July 2, 2025 handover of the party’s leadership from Nwosu to Mark and Aregbesola illegal, null and void.
He also sought orders restraining Mark and Aregbesola from presenting themselves as the party’s National Chairman and National Secretary, respectively, and requested an injunction preventing INEC from recognising them as ADC leaders.
Abejide argued that their emergence did not comply with the provisions of Section 82 of the Electoral Act, 2022.
However, the Federal High Court rejected those arguments, holding that the subsequent NEC meeting, monitored by INEC, validly produced the party’s leadership and complied with both the party’s constitution and the Electoral Act.