By Myke Uzendu, Abuja
The African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council (ADC PCC) has dismissed the judgment delivered by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, purporting to nullify the leadership of Senator David Mark and Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and invalidate the nomination of its presidential candidate, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
The Council described the ruling as an academic exercise that had been overtaken by events, insisting that it could not override an earlier judgment delivered by a court of coordinate jurisdiction on the same subject matter.
In a statement issued on Thursday and signed by its Director of Media and Publicity, Kola Ologbondiyan, the ADC PCC said its legal team was already taking steps to challenge the judgment through the appropriate judicial channels.
The Council recalled that Justice Musa Liman of the same Federal High Court, Abuja, had earlier examined the circumstances surrounding the emergence of Mark and Aregbesola as National Chairman and National Secretary of the party.
It said Justice Liman, in a judgment delivered on July 2, 2026, held that the transfer of leadership from Chief Ralph Nwosu to Mark did not violate the provisions of the ADC constitution.
According to the statement, the court acknowledged that the disputed meeting of July 2, 2025, was a stakeholders’ meeting that preceded the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of July 29, 2025, where Mark and Aregbesola emerged as National Chairman and National Secretary respectively.
The party added that the NEC meeting was monitored by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The ADC PCC argued that the earlier judgment had already settled the leadership question and that a subsequent decision by a court of coordinate jurisdiction could not simply displace it.
“The legal implications of that judgment cannot be wished away. The leadership question has already been subjected to judicial scrutiny by a court of coordinate jurisdiction,” the statement said.
It described the latest ruling as an exercise in futility and said the legal team was considering immediate steps to challenge the decision, including seeking appropriate interim relief and a stay of execution where legally applicable.
The Council also questioned the timing of the judgment, linking it to what it described as the contrast between the APC’s campaign activities in Kaduna and the ADC’s presidential campaign flag-off in Sokoto.
It claimed that the ruling came against the backdrop of a poorly attended APC campaign event in Kaduna and a successful ADC rally in Sokoto, which it described as unprecedented.
The ADC PCC alleged that the ruling party was increasingly unsettled by the growing political momentum of the opposition and accused it of seeking to frustrate the ADC rather than engage it through the ballot box.
The Council further expressed concern over what it described as allegations of pressure and political interference surrounding the court proceedings, insisting that the independence and integrity of the judiciary must be protected.
It also recalled that Justice Lifu had previously delivered a judgment declaring the ADC deregistered, which the party said was subsequently set aside by the Court of Appeal.
Despite the development, the campaign council maintained that Mark remained the party’s recognised National Chairman, while Aregbesola remained its National Secretary.
It urged party candidates, members and supporters nationwide to remain calm, vigilant and committed to their campaigns, assuring them that there was no cause for panic.
The Council also appealed to Nigerians not to be distracted by the judgment, but to remain committed to protecting multiparty democracy, political pluralism and citizens’ constitutional right to choose their leaders.
“The ADC is not distracted. The campaign continues. The struggle for a better Nigeria remains unstoppable,” the statement added.
2027: Lifu judgment academic, overtaken by events, ADC-PCC
