The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has welcomed the judgment of the Federal High Court in Abuja, describing the legal challenge by Hon. Leke Joseph Abejide against the party’s leadership as a failed attempt to destabilise the opposition. The party said the ruling affirms the legitimacy of Senator David Mark’s leadership and allows it to focus on national issues rather than internal litigation.
In a statement issued by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC said Justice Musa Liman struck out Abejide’s suit for lack of jurisdiction, upheld the emergence of David Mark and members of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC), directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise them as the party’s national officers, and awarded costs against Abejide and his legal team.
According to the party, the judgment reinforces the legal principle that the leadership of a political party is primarily an internal affair and not one for judicial interference where internal mechanisms have not been exhausted. The ADC argued that the decision validates the process through which the current leadership emerged in accordance with the party’s constitution and the Electoral Act.
The party further expressed hope that the ruling would bring an end to the series of legal battles surrounding its leadership, enabling it to concentrate on presenting what it described as practical alternatives to Nigeria’s worsening economic hardship, insecurity, unemployment, and governance challenges.
The judgment marks another significant development in the ADC’s leadership dispute as the opposition party intensifies preparations ahead of the 2027 general elections.
