The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced plans to review the Federal High Court judgment nullifying the leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), a development that has thrown the party’s 2027 presidential ticket, reportedly won by former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, into uncertainty.
According to the electoral body, they would not take any immediate decision on the crisis until it obtains and examines the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the court judgment.
The commission maintained that it must study the actual ruling before determining its next line of action regarding the party’s leadership and other decisions affected by the judgment.
INEC’s position comes after Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja nullified the David Mark-led caretaker leadership of the ADC.
The court also invalidated several decisions taken under the committee, including the process that produced Atiku as the party’s presidential flag bearer for the 2027 general elections.
The judgment has raised questions about the status of the ADC’s leadership structure, its presidential candidate and other nominations made under the disputed leadership.
Speaking on the development, INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, said the commission would first obtain the certified judgment before making an official decision.
According to him, INEC would not rely on media reports or accounts of the proceedings to determine what steps it should take.
“We can’t take a position until we see tthe judgement 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,” he said.
Haruna explained that the commission would deliberate on the matter at its next meeting scheduled for the coming week.
He noted that the issue would be considered by the commissioners before INEC communicates its position on the implications of the ruling.
“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,” he said.
The INEC commissioner also addressed the possibility that the David Mark-led faction could challenge the judgment at the Court of Appeal.
He indicated that the commission would respect any subsequent court order, particularly if the affected faction obtains an injunction suspending the execution of the Federal High Court judgment.
“Obviously, if the David Mark faction should appeal, which I am sure they will, and they get an injunction for stay of execution, obviously, we’ll have to obey that judgement,” he added.
The court ruling followed a legal challenge instituted by Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former ADC Deputy National Chairman (North-East), over the process through which Mark and other members of the caretaker committee assumed control of the party.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025, questioned the legality of the committee’s emergence and the authority under which its members began exercising control over the affairs of the ADC.
Gombe had argued that he was constitutionally entitled to assume the party’s leadership following the resignation of its former National Chairman, Ralph Nwosu.
He challenged the emergence of Mark as the head of the caretaker committee, maintaining that the process violated the party’s constitution and established procedures for filling leadership vacancies.
The former deputy national chairman subsequently approached the court to challenge decisions taken by the disputed leadership.
Among other requests, he asked the court to invalidate the activities of the caretaker committee and restrain Mark and former Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, from presenting themselves as the party’s National Chairman and National Secretary, respectively.
Delivering judgment on Thursday, Justice Lifu ruled against the process through which the Mark-led caretaker committee emerged.
The judge held that the arrangement was inconsistent with provisions of the ADC constitution, relevant sections of the Electoral Act and the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria.
Consequently, the court nullified the caretaker committee’s emergence and decisions taken under its authority.
One of the major consequences of the ruling concerns the ADC’s presidential primary, which reportedly produced Atiku Abubakar as the party’s candidate for the 2027 presidential election.
By invalidating the process conducted under the disputed leadership, the court also nullified the outcome of the presidential primary.
The decision has therefore placed the status of Atiku’s emergence as the party’s presidential flag bearer under legal uncertainty, pending further developments in the case.
The court also invalidated Aregbesola’s emergence as National Secretary and the appointments of other national officers who assumed their positions through the caretaker arrangement.
The nominations of candidates submitted by the party for the 2027 general elections were also affected by the judgment.
In another significant part of its decision, the court directed INEC not to recognise or act on resolutions reached during the ADC’s 99th National Executive Committee meeting held on July 27, 2025.
The directive places the electoral commission at the centre of the unfolding situation, particularly regarding the recognition of party officials and the validity of decisions submitted to it by the ADC.
The commission’s forthcoming meeting is therefore expected to address the implications of the ruling and determine how it should handle the party’s records and other electoral matters affected by the decision.
However, INEC has made it clear that its position will depend on the contents of the certified judgment and any subsequent legal orders that may arise.
The ADC, INEC, Mark, Aregbesola and Nwosu were listed as defendants in the suit.