Court Backs Mark, Aregbesola, Fines Abejide N2m Over ADC Suit

The Federal High Court in Abuja has affirmed Senator David Mark’s leadership of the African Democratic Congress, dismissing a suit by Rep Leke Abejide that sought to strip Mark and Rauf Aregbesola of their positions as national chairman and national secretary of the party.

Delivering judgment on Thursday, July 2, 2026, Justice Musa Liman held that the court lacked jurisdiction to interfere in the internal affairs of a political party, describing the suit as non-justiciable. He ruled that Abejide failed to show that his rights had been violated by the emergence of the Mark-led leadership, and had also failed to explore the party’s internal dispute resolution mechanism before heading to court.

The judge resolved all three substantive issues in favour of the defendants. He held that the handover of leadership by former chairman Ralph Nwosu to Mark did not breach the party’s constitution. Justice Liman agreed with the defendants that the disputed July 2, 2025 gathering was a stakeholders’ meeting that preceded the National Executive Council meeting of July 29, 2025, which produced Mark and Aregbesola and was monitored by the Independent National Electoral Commission. He declared their emergence valid and consistent with the party constitution, the Electoral Act 2026, and the party’s rules.

The court awarded costs of N2 million each in favour of the defendants, to be paid by Abejide, and a separate N10 million fine against his counsel in line with the Electoral Act 2026.

Abejide, who represents Yagba East, Yagba West and Mopa Moro Federal Constituency of Kogi State and is the party’s only member in the House of Representatives, had filed the suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1637/2025, on February 15, 2026. He sued the ADC, Nwosu, Mark, Aregbesola and INEC as first to fifth defendants respectively, seeking eight reliefs including an order nullifying the handover and a perpetual injunction restraining Mark and Aregbesola from parading themselves as leaders.

The ruling lands at a delicate moment for the party. The ADC became the chosen platform of a broad opposition coalition assembled through 2025 to unseat President Bola Tinubu in 2027, drawing in former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Rabiu Kwankwaso and others under the argument that a fragmented opposition handed the All Progressives Congress victory in 2023 with about 36 percent of the vote.

That coalition has since strained. Earlier this year, following a Court of Appeal ruling, INEC struck the names of Mark and Aregbesola from its portal and declined to recognise competing factions pending the substantive case. The Supreme Court, on April 30, 2026, set aside aspects of the appellate ruling and returned the matter to the trial court, after which INEC restored the Mark-led leadership.

The coalition has also splintered around the presidential ticket. Atiku emerged as ADC standard-bearer at the party’s direct primary, and his running mate pairing with former Rivers Governor Rotimi Amaechi was confirmed by the party in June. Obi and Kwankwaso, meanwhile, have gravitated toward a separate platform, leaving the opposition spread across multiple vehicles heading into 2027.

Thursday’s judgment removes one more legal cloud over Mark’s authority, though further challenges tied to the party’s internal contests may still test that standing before the general election.