In a move that could reshape the 2027 presidential race, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced it will convene next week to review the Federal High Court’s ruling that nullified the David Mark‑led leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC). The judgment also invalidated the party’s presidential primary that selected former Vice‑President Atiku Abubakar as its flag bearer.
INEC said it would not take a position on the party’s leadership crisis until it has examined the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the judgment. “We can’t take a position until we see the judgment ourselves. We have to get the Certified True Copy because we don’t take decisions or reports of what the court said based on reports because the reports could be wrong,” said Mohammed Haruna, INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman of its Information and Voter Education Committee.
“Well, this one is very straightforward. Even then, we are all here till next week when the commission meets. We will have to meet over it,” Haruna added.
The Federal High Court, in Abuja, ruled that the Mark‑led caretaker committee’s emergence contravened the ADC constitution, the Electoral Act and the 1999 Constitution. It nullified the committee’s decisions, including the presidential primary that produced Atiku, and invalidated the appointments of other national officers and the nominations of candidates for the 2027 general elections.
Justice Peter Lifu directed INEC not to recognise or act on decisions taken at the ADC’s 99th National Executive Committee meeting held on 27 July 2025. The court also struck down Rauf Aregbesola’s emergence as National Secretary and ordered that the ADC, INEC, Mark, Aregbesola and former National Chairman Ralph Nwosu be treated as defendants in the suit.
The judgment followed a suit (FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025) filed by former ADC Deputy National Chairman (North‑East) Nafiu Bala Gombe
<small>Source: Vanguard News — read the original story there.</small>
