Nigeria’s Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has on Thursday dismissed a suit challenging the Senator David Mark-led leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Presiding judge, Justice Musa Liman dismissed the suit while delivering ruling in the preliminary objection filed by the defendants.
A House of Representatives member from Kogi State, Hon. Leke Abejide, had dragged the ADC, preliminary objections raised by the ADC, its former National Chairman, Ralph Nwosu, current National Chairman, Mark, National Secretary, Rauf Aregbesola and two others to court, seeking an order voiding their leadership of the party.
In his judgement on Thursday, Justice Liman held that the case of the plaintiff borders on the internal affairs of a political party, which is not justiciable and therefore cannot be entertained by his court.
The court also held that Abejide lacked locus standi (the legal standing) to institute the suit, on the grounds that he did not prove how his rights were violated by the emergence of the Mark-led leadership.
Liman, in addition faulted Abejide for not exhausting the party’s internal dispute resolution mechanism before instituting the legal action.
Justice Liman further held that the transfer of leadership by Nwosu did not contravene the ADC constitution, adding that the July 2, 2025 stakeholders’ meeting, where Nwosu handed over the party’s leadership, preceded the National Executive Committee meeting of July 29, 2025, which formally produced Mark and Aregbesola as the party’s national chairman and national secretary, respectively, under the supervision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The court declared that the emergence of the duo complied with the ADC constitution and the Electoral Act, 2026.
Justice Liman subsequently awarded costs of N2 million each in favour of the defendants against Abejide.
He also ordered Abejide’s counsel to pay N10 million as costs pursuant to the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2026.