Court sack David Mark-led ADC executives, wetin e mean for Atiku presidential bid

Di Federal High Court for Abuja don cancel di leadership of di African Democratic Congress (ADC), wey former Senate President David Mark dey lead, and any efforts to pick former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar as presidential candidate for di 2027 elections.

Justice Peter Lifu for im judgment on Thursday, 5 November rule say di interim executive committee wey Mark lead, under which dem take conduct di primary election, dey illegal.

E declare di actions wey di committee take on behalf of di party null and void, for im ruling.

However, dis development fit get serious implications for di opposition alliance.

Di party don already pick Atiku as ADC presidential candidate and dem don pick former Governor of Rivers state Rotimi Amaechi as im running mate. Even di Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) don publish im name for dia record.

Meanwhile, ADC don condemn di ruling as dem warn say e go dey dangerous if di dem wan use courts bring down opposition.

Brief background

But how di mata take start, na some ogbonge members of different opposition political parties for Nigeria bin come togeda on 2 July 2025 to announce say dem don joinbodi togeda to try to collect power from di ruling APC and President Bola Tinubu, and na di African Democratic Congress (ADC) go be di party for dat coalition.

Top politicians like former Vice President Abubakar Atiku, former Senate President David Mark, former govnors like Rotimi Amaechi, Peter Obi, Rauf Aregbesola, Aminu Tambuwal, Nasiru El-Rufai, and Gabriel Suswam, all dey present for dis declaration event.

For dat ceremony, former national President of di ADC, Ralph Nwosu, tok say im and all im exco don agree to resign voluntarily so dat new leadership go take ova di party in order to move di joinbodi project forward.

Na dia dem name David Mark and Rauf Aregbesola as di new national chairman and secretary of di ADC respectfully.

Afta some weeks, however, di former ADC national deputy chairman, Nafiu Bala Gombe, tok say im no gree to resign im position, and im no gree for di joinbodi arrangement.

Di former ADC deputy national chairman carry di mata go court to claim say as Nwosu don resign as Chairman, im wey be deputy chairman suppose take over automatically as Chairman according to wetin di ADC constitution tok.

Gombe argue say since di former ADC national Chairman Ralph Nwosu resign from im office, voluntarily, di party constitution tok say na di deputy suppose bicom di acting chairman.

E also argue say di way David Mark and Rauf Aregbesola take emerge as di new national chairman and secretary of di ADC respectively, dey against di party constitution.

Gombe ask di court to stop di two individuals - David Mark and Rauf Aregbesola - from parading diasef as di national chairman and national secretary of di ADC.

Also, Gombe ask di court to declare say all di actions wey di purported ADC exco bin carry out starting from 27 July 2025 wen dem come into office reach now, dey null and void.

As Bala Gombe file di mata for court, di Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec) tok say dem no longer go recognise David Mark and Aregbesola as di ADC chairman and secretary, since di leadership mata still dey for contest for court.

However, di ADC and all dia big politicians organise ogbonge protest for Abuja and march to di Inec headquarters wia dem demand say make Inec restore di names of dia leaders pending wen di leadership mata dey resolved.

Inec later restore David Mark and Aregbesola names for dia portal afta one Supreme Court judgement on di mata, even as di case for di high court continue.

Dat ongoing high court mata na im end di Thursday wit justice Peter Lifu ruling say di manner wey David Mark take bicom di ADC national chairman dey illegal, so e suppose comot from dat position and all di action wey im leadership don take from di day dem enta office, dey invalid.

Justice Lifu agree wit evritin wey oga Nafiu Bala Gombe tok and also grant evritin wey e ask di court.

"All di actions taken by di ADC as a party since July 27 to date stand annulled," Lukman Fagbemi (SAN), wey represent Nafiu Bala Gombe for court, tell tori pipo afta di judgement on Thursday.

Di ADC National Welfare Secretary, Nkemakolam Ukandu, who also folo for di pipo wey Nafiu Bala crry go court, tell tori pipo say di party go appeal di judgment.

Wetin dis judgement mean for di ADC

Luka Musa Haruna, one senior advocate of Nigeria wey also follow for di lawyers wey represent Nafir Bala Gombe for dis mata, tell tori pipo afta di court session say, dis judgement mean say di ADC no go get any candidate for any elective position for di 2027 elections, from di Presidency to Governorship, Senate and House of Representatives and even State House of Assembly.

If dis hapun, e simply mean say di ambition of former Vice President Abubakar Atiku to try to bicom Nigeria president by 2027, don end.

Atiku na one of di major candidates for di 2027 election and e don also name a strong running mate in di person of Rotimi Amaechi, wey be former govnor of Rivers State and former Minister of Transportation.

Rememba say, shortly bifor di ADC presidential primary election for May dis year, former Anambra state govnor, Peter Obi, wey bin dey present on di day of di coalition announcement, suddenly comot from di party and join di Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), wia e get dia presidential ticket and name former Kano State govnor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, as im running mate.

'APC wan set Nigeria on fire' - ADC

Following Thursday judgement of di federal high court wey comot David Mark as leader of ADC and nullify all di party actions, including dia presidential primary election, di ADC release statement wia dem blame di ruling All Progressives Congress for di development and claim say di ruling party wan set Nigeria on fire.

ADC tok-tok pesin, Bolaji Abdullahi tok for di statement say dis court judgement "na anoda desperate attempt to cripple di opposition and deny Nigerians di right to choose dia leaders for di forthcoming general elections".

Abdullahi claim say di timing of di judgement dey suspicious bicos e come less dan 24 hours afta di ADC hold dia ogbonge campaign rally for Sokoto State, for di northwest region of Nigeria, wey thousands of dia supporters attend.

"Yesterday, Nigerians come out for dia hundreds of thousands to demonstrate dia support for di ADC and our promise of making life affordable for dem. Today, dem dey tell dem say di party wey dem support and di candidates wey dem dey support for all levels fit dey erased by di stroke of one reckless judicial pen," Abdullahi write.

'No shaking' - Atiku

Meanwhile, di ADC presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar don tell im supporters make dem calm down bico di journey to di presidency na 'long one', and say im no dey shake sake of di judgement wey nullify im candidacy.

"Di timing of dis judgment no be coincidence. Na part of strategy to weaken my support for di North and frustrate campaign wey di message dey resonate across di kontri," Atiku tok-tok pesin, Phrank Shuaibu, tok for im statement on Thursday.

"Our journey to rescue Nigeria from di hardship imposed by di APC govment na long one. Our Affordable Life campaign go continue bicos Nigerians deserve relief from dis crushing cost-of-living crisis.

"We dey urge our supporters to remain resolute, take our message from house to house and door to door, and stay peaceful and focused. Dia is no shaking," di statement tok.