By Adekoya Samson
The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has upheld the judgment of the Federal High Court in Abuja in the leadership dispute within the African Democratic Party (ADC), affirming the authority of the party’s elected state chairmen over the organisation of state congresses and the national convention.
In its judgment delivered on Monday, the appellate court also ordered Senator David Mark and national executives associated with his faction to pay ₦10 million in costs.
Reacting to the judgment, the Abia State Chairman of the ADC and spokesperson for the state-chairmen-controlled National Executive Committee (NEC), Don Norman Obinna, described the verdict as a victory for justice.
“God is faithful. Today, the Appeal Court has demonstrated its role as the last hope of the common man,” Obinna said.
The appeal arose from Senator Mark’s challenge to an earlier judgment delivered by the Federal High Court on April 29, 2026, which recognised the elected ADC state chairmen as the lawful authorities empowered under the party’s constitution to organise state congresses and the national convention.
The High Court had ruled that the four-year tenure of the elected state executive committees remained valid and held that attempts by Senator Mark’s interim leadership to dissolve the elected structures and replace them with caretaker committees were unconstitutional and inconsistent with the ADC constitution.
Before that judgment, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik had issued an order restraining the Mark-led faction from conducting a national convention pending the determination of the suit. Despite the order, the convention proceeded and was subsequently nullified by the High Court.
Dissatisfied with the ruling, Senator Mark appealed the decision and sought to stop the implementation of the High Court judgment. However, the Court of Appeal declined the request and has now affirmed the lower court’s decision.
The original suit (FHC/ABJ/CS/581/2026) was instituted by Don Norman Obinna and six other ADC state chairmen, who challenged the transfer of party leadership from founding National Chairman Ralph Nwosu to an interim leadership headed by Senator Mark.
The High Court had also restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognising Senator Mark’s interim executives as the party’s leadership.
Following the April judgment, the state-chairmen-controlled NEC conducted state congresses, held a national convention that elected new national officers, and organised party primaries for various elective positions.
The Court of Appeal’s judgment affirms the validity of those congresses, convention and primary elections.
The ruling carries significant political implications for the ADC ahead of future elections. However, Senator David Mark retains the constitutional right to appeal the decision before the Supreme Court, which would have the final judicial determination on the matter.
