BREAKING: Abuja Court Dissolves Mark’s ADC Leadership, Throws Atiku’s 2027 Presidential Ticket Into Chaos

Abuja, Nov. 5, 2026

Nigeria’s political space was thrown into confusion on Thursday after the Federal High Court in Abuja delivered a judgment that could change the shape of the 2027 presidential race.

Justice Peter Lifu sacked the entire Senator David Mark-led executive of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, and declared every action taken by that leadership as illegal, null and void.

The biggest casualty of the judgment is former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.

The court voided his nomination as the ADC presidential candidate for the 2027 general election, a decision that has now thrown his campaign into serious uncertainty.

Atiku had already been listed by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, as a presidential candidate. He had also unveiled former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, as his running mate and had just held a massive campaign rally in Sokoto State barely 24 hours before the judgment.

That rally now means little, as the foundation upon which his candidacy was built has been demolished by the court.

What Happened In Court

The case was filed by Nafiu Bala Gombe, the former National Deputy Chairman, North-East, of the ADC.

Gombe challenged how Senator Mark and his team took over the leadership of the party after the resignation of former National Chairman, Chief Ralph Nwosu.

His argument was simple: after Nwosu resigned, he, Gombe, as the most senior deputy, was the rightful person to take over the party’s leadership, not a caretaker committee imposed from outside.

He asked the court to nullify everything the Mark-led committee did, including the primary election that produced Atiku.

He also asked the court to stop Senator Mark and Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola from parading themselves as National Chairman and National Secretary of the ADC, arguing that their emergence violated the party’s constitution and the Electoral Act.

Justice Lifu agreed with him.

After hearing all parties, the court upheld Gombe’s claims and granted all his reliefs.

The defendants in the suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025, were the ADC, INEC, Senator Mark, Aregbesola and Chief Ralph Nwosu.

What This Means For 2027

The judgment is a major blow to the ADC and to Atiku’s 2027 ambition.

With the presidential election scheduled for January 16, 2027, time is no longer on the party’s side. The party must now decide whether to conduct a fresh primary, settle its leadership crisis, or hope that the Court of Appeal overturns the judgment quickly.

Already, the ADC has vowed to fight back.

The National Welfare Secretary of the party, Mr. Nkemakolam Ukandu, who was later joined as an interested party in the matter, said the verdict will be challenged at the appellate court.

Political watchers say the battle is far from over. If the appeal fails, Atiku may be forced to look for another platform or miss out on the 2027 race entirely.

For now, the ADC is in crisis, Atiku’s ticket is in limbo, and Nigeria’s 2027 election has just become more unpredictable.