Justice Peter Odo Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja has nullified all the processes of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) that led to the emergence of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as the party’s candidate for the 2027 election.
In his judgement, the judge nullified the emergence of former Senate President David Mark, Rauf Aregbesola and others as national officers of the ADC.
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All candidates nominated for the 2027 general election by the David Mark-led leadership also had their nominations cancelled on the grounds that they emerged from an illegal and unlawful leadership structure of the ADC.
Justice Lifu upheld the case of Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former Deputy National Chairman of the ADC, who challenged the emergence of David Mark and Rauf Aregbesola as leaders of the party, describing the process as unlawful and illegal.
The judge held that all actions taken by the David Mark-led leadership in the name of the ADC were unlawful and consequently nullified.
Nafiu Gombe, a former Deputy National Chairman of the ADC, had instituted a case against the party, seeking an order restraining Mark, Aregbesola and others from parading themselves as leaders of the party.
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The plaintiff sued the ADC, Mark, Aregbesola, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the party’s former National Chairman, Ralph Nwosu, as the first to fifth defendants, respectively.
Gombe’s case was based on the allegation that the emergence of Mark, Aregbesola and others as national leaders of the party violated the provisions of the ADC constitution and the Electoral Act, which stipulate how political party leaders should emerge through national conventions, rather than through an alleged hijack of the party by its current leaders.
Mark, Aregbesola, the ADC and others filed a total of 27 separate motions challenging Gombe’s case and seeking its dismissal at the preliminary stage. However, the judge dismissed the applications for being frivolous and baseless.
Specifically, several members of the ADC National Working Committee (NWC) filed separate applications seeking to be joined as defendants in the suit, but their requests were rejected by the judge.
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The judge held that their interests would be determined through the case against David Mark and Rauf Aregbesola, who were sued as the National Chairman and National Secretary of the ADC, respectively, alongside the NWC.
FRCN