A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has dealt a devastating blow to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), sacking the Senator David Mark-led leadership of the party and nullifying all decisions and actions taken by the committee, including the nomination of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar as its presidential candidate for the 2027 general election.

The judgment, delivered on Thursday by Justice Peter Lifu, declared the Senator Mark-led Caretaker Committee illegal, effectively invalidating the process through which the former Senate President and his team assumed control of the party.

The ruling also casts serious uncertainty over Atiku’s presidential ambition under the ADC platform, barely two months after the party reportedly settled on him as its flag bearer and announced former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, as his running mate.

The court reached its decision while ruling on a suit instituted by Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former National Deputy Chairman (North-East) of the ADC, who challenged the legitimacy of the process that brought the Mark-led leadership into office.

Gombe had approached the court following the resignation of the party’s former National Chairman, Chief Ralph Nwosu, arguing that, by virtue of his position as National Deputy Chairman, he was constitutionally entitled to assume the party’s leadership.

He consequently challenged the emergence of Mark and other members of the caretaker committee, insisting that their takeover of the party’s leadership violated the ADC constitution and provisions of the Electoral Act.

Among other reliefs, the plaintiff asked the court to nullify all decisions and actions taken by the Mark-led leadership and restrain Senator Mark and Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola from parading themselves as the party’s National Chairman and National Secretary, respectively.

The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025, listed the ADC, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Senator Mark, Aregbesola and Nwosu as defendants.

Justice Lifu upheld Gombe’s claims and granted the reliefs sought, thereby invalidating the authority of the Mark-led leadership and the decisions taken under its watch.

The implications of the judgment are far-reaching, particularly for Atiku, whose emergence as the ADC presidential candidate was one of the major political developments ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

The former Vice-President had already commenced political mobilisation under the ADC platform, with a major campaign rally held in Sokoto State on Wednesday, barely 24 hours before the court delivered its judgment.

INEC had also earlier published Atiku’s name as a presidential candidate for the forthcoming election.

However, Thursday’s ruling has thrown the party’s leadership structure and the legitimacy of the presidential nomination into fresh legal uncertainty.

The development could trigger another round of political realignments and litigation within the opposition, especially as the 2027 presidential election approaches.

Reacting to the judgment, the ADC National Welfare Secretary, Nkemakolam Ukandu, who was subsequently joined in the case as an interested party, said the party would challenge the decision at the appellate court.

He maintained that the ADC would pursue an appeal against the verdict.

The party’s decision to approach the Court of Appeal means the legal battle over its leadership and the validity of decisions taken by the Mark-led committee is far from over.

Nevertheless, the immediate consequence of the judgment is a major setback for the ADC leadership and a fresh complication for Atiku’s 2027 presidential project, which now faces a significant legal hurdle over the platform on which he intends to contest.