‘Justice Has Been Served’: Nafiu Bala’s ADC Faction Hails Court Ruling Against Atiku, David Mark

‘Justice Has Been Served’: Nafiu Bala’s ADC Faction Hails Court Ruling Against Atiku, David Mark

The Nafiu Bala-led faction of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has welcomed the Federal High Court judgment that nullified the leadership structure headed by former Senate President David Mark and invalidated the process that produced former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2027 election.

Bala, who instituted the suit that culminated in Thursday’s judgment in Abuja, described the ruling as a victory for justice, insisting that the court had affirmed his faction’s position in the protracted leadership dispute.

Speaking in an interview with DAILY POST, Bala accused the Mark-led group of taking over the party through an improper process.

“The court has affirmed the truth today; these people came to cheat us. This party has belonged to us for years; we built it tirelessly. But after they destroyed their party, they came to hijack ours,” he said.

He maintained that the judgment was final in its implications, adding that any attempt to challenge it would not change what the court had decided.

Bala also claimed that the court had directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to remove the affected names from its list of candidates, while insisting that his faction had candidates for elective positions across the country.

“Today justice is served,” he declared.

The Federal High Court, presided over by Justice Peter Lifu, had on Thursday nullified the emergence of the Mark-led caretaker leadership, declaring its actions on behalf of the party invalid.

The judgment also affected the nomination process that produced Atiku as the ADC’s presidential flag bearer for the 2027 general election.

The case, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025, was filed by Bala, a former National Deputy Chairman of the ADC for the North-East. He challenged the process through which Mark and other members of the caretaker committee assumed control of the party following the resignation of its former National Chairman, Ralph Nwosu.

Bala argued that his position within the party entitled him to assume leadership after Nwosu’s departure and asked the court to invalidate the emergence of Mark and former Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, as National Chairman and National Secretary respectively.

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The court upheld his claims, delivering a ruling with significant implications for the ADC’s preparations for the 2027 general election.

However, the judgment has been rejected by the Mark-led faction, which has indicated its intention to challenge the decision at the appellate court.

The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, also questioned the ruling, arguing that it conflicted with an earlier judgment involving the party’s leadership structure. The ADC said it was awaiting the certified true copy of the latest judgment to determine its next legal steps.

The ruling has intensified the leadership crisis within the opposition party, with the dispute now carrying direct consequences for its presidential ticket and other candidates ahead of the 2027 elections.