Controversy over the authentic leadership of the African Democratic Party appears to have come to an end as the Federal High Court in Abuja has affirmed the former Senate President, David Mark, as National Chairman of the party.
The court,in a judgment delivered on Thursday, by Justice Musa Liman dismissed a suit filed by Leke Abejide, seeking to nullify the emergence of David Mark as National Chairman and Rauf Aregbesola as National Secretary of the party.
The court held that the suit lacked merit and upheld the preliminary objections raised by the ADC and the defendants, including former party chairman Ralph Nwosu, David Mark and Aregbesola.
Justice Liman ruled that the dispute was an internal affair of the party and therefore not a matter for judicial intervention. The court held that political parties have the constitutional right to manage their internal affairs, provided their actions are in line with their constitutions and relevant laws.
The judge also held that Abejide lacked the legal standing to institute the action because he failed to demonstrate that any of his personal rights had been violated by the leadership transition.
In addition, the court found that the lawmaker did not exhaust the party’s internal dispute resolution mechanisms before approaching the court, a requirement often expected in disputes involving political party administration.
Delivering judgment on the substantive issues, Justice Liman ruled that the transfer of leadership from Ralph Nwosu to David Mark was lawful and did not contravene any provision of the ADC Constitution.
The court further noted that the stakeholders’ meeting held on July 2, 2025, was followed by a properly constituted National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting on July 29, 2025, during which David Mark and Aregbesola emerged as the party’s leaders.
According to the judgment, the process was monitored by the Independent National Electoral Commission, providing additional legitimacy to the exercise.
Justice Liman declared that the emergence of David Mark and Aregbesola complied fully with the ADC Constitution, the Electoral Act and all applicable laws governing political parties in Nigeria.
The court subsequently resolved all three substantive issues before it in favour of the defendants and dismissed all claims brought by Abejide.
In a significant financial consequence, the court awarded ₦2 million in costs against Abejide in favour of each defendant. It also imposed an additional ₦10 million cost against the plaintiff’s counsel, citing provisions of the Electoral Act.
Abejide had asked the court to declare the leadership handover from Ralph Nwosu to David Mark and Aregbesola unlawful. He also sought perpetual injunctions restraining the two leaders from presenting themselves as national officers of the party and preventing INEC from recognising them.
However, the court rejected all the reliefs sought and affirmed the legitimacy of the party’s current leadership.
