By David Torough, Abuja

The Federal High Court in Abuja has nullified the leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) led by former Senate President, David Mark, invalidating all decisions taken by the party under its leadership, including the emergence of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar as its presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections.

The ruling, delivered on Thursday by Justice Peter Lifu, also invalidated the emergence of former Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, as the party’s National Secretary, the appointments of other national officers and the nominations of candidates for elective positions across the country.

The court further ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to recognise or act on decisions taken at the ADC’s 99th National Executive Committee meeting held on July 27, 2025.

The judgment followed a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025, instituted by former ADC Deputy National Chairman (North-East), Nafiu Bala Gombe, who challenged the process through which Mark and other members of the caretaker committee assumed control of the party.

Gombe argued that following the resignation of the party’s former National Chairman, Ralph Nwosu, he was constitutionally entitled to take over its leadership. He consequently asked the court to invalidate the actions of the Mark-led leadership and restrain Mark and Aregbesola from parading themselves as National Chairman and National Secretary, respectively.

Upholding the plaintiff’s case, Justice Lifu held that the emergence of the Mark-led leadership violated the ADC constitution, relevant provisions of the Electoral Act and the 1999 Constitution.

Speaking after the judgment, counsel to the plaintiff, Lukman Fagbemi (SAN), said the court had nullified all actions taken by the Mark-led leadership since July 2025.

He explained that INEC had been directed not to recognise or act on decisions taken at the party’s 99th NEC meeting, adding that the court found that the leadership did not emerge through lawful constitutional processes.

Another counsel to the plaintiff, Luka Musa Haruna (SAN), said the judgment effectively left the ADC without candidates for the 2027 elections, including the presidential, governorship, senatorial and House of Representatives contests, as well as state legislative positions.

He recalled that the interlocutory aspect of the dispute had gone to the Supreme Court, which directed that the matter be returned to the Federal High Court for determination of the substantive issues.

The latest ruling, however, has triggered a fresh legal and political confrontation, with Atiku declaring that he would challenge the decision at the Court of Appeal.

In a statement issued on Thursday by the Director of Strategic Communication of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Phrank Shaibu, titled ‘The Panic Is Real — Atiku’, the former Vice-President described the judgment as an attempt to weaken the opposition party and frustrate his presidential ambition ahead of the 2027 elections.

Atiku questioned why another suit was instituted against the Mark-led leadership despite an earlier judgment by the same Federal High Court, which he said had affirmed the leadership’s legitimacy.

He cited a judgment delivered on July 2, 2026, by Justice Musa Liman in suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/1637/2025, which he said dismissed a challenge to the Mark-led leadership on grounds relating to jurisdiction, standing and failure to exhaust internal party remedies.

According to him, the latest case amounted to an attempt to circumvent an existing judicial decision.

“Why, after that judgment, was another case filed to reopen the same dispute? This is a calculated attempt to circumvent a subsisting judgment. We will challenge this judicial manoeuvre at the Court of Appeal,” he said.

Atiku also questioned the timing of Thursday’s ruling, which came barely 24 hours after a large crowd attended the ADC campaign rally in Sokoto State.

He alleged that the judgment was intended to undermine the momentum generated by the rally and weaken his political support in Northern Nigeria.

“The timing of this judgment is no coincidence. It is part of a strategy to weaken my support in the North and frustrate a campaign whose message is resonating across the country,” he said.

The former Vice-President maintained that his political ambition was not restricted to Northern Nigeria, arguing that the economic hardship confronting Nigerians had created a national demand for political change.

He said the turnout at the Sokoto rally demonstrated growing support for the ADC’s promise to address the rising cost of living, adding that the campaign would proceed to Kebbi State and other parts of the country.

“My roots are in Northern Nigeria, but my candidacy belongs to all Nigerians. There is a difference between being from the North and being a candidate only for the North. Hunger and hardship do not respect regional boundaries,” he said.

Atiku urged his supporters not to be discouraged by the judgment, insisting that the party’s campaign activities would continue while the legal battle progressed.

He called on party members to remain peaceful, intensify house-to-house mobilisation and sustain the campaign for what he described as an affordable life for Nigerians.

Meanwhile, the ADC has rejected the judgment and indicated its intention to appeal, urging members to remain calm and law-abiding while the party explores available judicial options.

The ruling represents a major setback for the Mark-led faction of the ADC, coming at a critical stage in preparations for the 2027 general elections. Its implications for the party’s leadership, presidential candidacy and other electoral nominations will now be subject to further legal proceedings.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has called for the partnership of the United Nations in combating disinformation in the 2027 general elections.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, made the call on during a courtesy visit by a United Nations delegation, led by Dr.

Amupitan also called for the UN’s partnership in enhancing early warning security monitoring and civic inclusion for women, youth and vulnerable groups in Nigeria.

He identified foreign information manipulation, fake news and targetted electoral disinformation as major emerging threats to democratic processes in West Africa.

“As we deepen our preparations for the 2027 general elections, the commission welcomes continued strategic support and collaborations with the United Nations in several key areas.

“These areas include electoral information integrity and countering disinformation, partnering on rapid response mechanisms and public awareness initiatives to combat foreign information manipulation and interference, the highlighted system manipulations and electoral disinformation.

“One of the greatest challenges to this relation is the issue of disinformation and misinformation, most especially when it has foreign components,” he said.

Amupitan reaffirmed INEC’s commitment to conducting free, fair, credible and transparent elections in 2027, assuring Nigerians that the commission was actively refining its operations to uphold the integrity of the ballot.

He highlighted key institutional reforms, technological updates and voter register cleanup exercises currently underway ahead of the upcoming elections.

The INEC chairman noted that Nigeria’s national voter register currently stands at 103 million, with young voters between the ages of 18 and 34 accounting for nearly 29 per cent of the electorate.

“Using technology, including the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), we have successfully identified and removed over 1.5 million ineligible registrations prior to reaching this 103 million mark.

“The cleanup process is ongoing, with display of the register for claims and objections in accordance with Section 19 of the Electoral Act. The final cleaned register will be published on Dec. 15,” Amupitan said.

The INEC chairman added that the commission was actively distributing permanent voter cards (PVCs) across the nation for new registrants, those who updated their details and voters requesting replacement cards.

To enhance operational efficiency and speed up voter accreditation on Election Day, Amupitan said that the commission had lowered the voter threshold per BVAS device from 1,250 to 800 voters.

He also noted that to build public trust and test technical readiness, INEC planned to conduct nationwide mock accreditation and election exercises prior to the general elections.

“Our objective is to ensure efficient logistics, transparent result management via the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) and timely declaration of results.

“Election should be a source of peace, stability and nation-building,” the chairman said.

In his remarks, the head of the delegation said that the mission was aimed at offering moral and strategic support to Nigeria, as it prepares for the critical polls.

Simão said that given Nigeria’s strategic importance in West Africa, peaceful and successful elections in the country would serve as an inspiration to the entire sub-region.

He emphasised the need for Nigeria to conduct peaceful elections in spite of the diverse views and sentiments involved in any election.

“Elections are always challenging in any country because there are so many views, sentiments and emotions involved.

“Therefore, it is important to manage all of these varieties without putting in danger the peace and stability of the country. Particularly in our case here, the country Nigeria is being affected by terrorism and other sources of violence,” he said.

He said that the Nigeria election should not be another source of violence or burden for the country, another burden for the country, urging INEC to make sure that the elections were peaceful.

“Elections are always challenging because of the varied political sentiments and emotions involved.

“Given that Nigeria is already dealing with security challenges, the election should not be another source of violence or burden for the country,” he said.

Simão added that while the UN delegation would not act as official election observers due to mandate constraints, its presence in the country would continue through the election period to encourage positive behaviours and support peaceful political dialogue among political actors.

“Our objective is to give our contribution for successful elections. We need peaceful elections not only for the benefit of the people of Nigeria, but also of the region.

“Successful elections in Nigeria will be a sort of inspiration to other countries also to follow through. Therefore, the regional integration also happens at this level,” he said.(NAN)

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Adamawa has sensitised Persons Living with Disabilities (PWDs) on the electoral process ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner, Muhammad Nura, said this at the inauguration of the exercise on Monday in Yola.

He said that persons with disabilities constituted an important part of the electorate, adding that the commission was geared toward ensuring an inclusive electoral process.

Nura said that the commission recognised the need to identify and address barriers to ensure that no eligible voter was left out.

“Our commitment to electoral inclusion requires continuous sensitisation, effective collaboration with disability organisations, and improved voter education. And the identification of reasonable measures to facilitate participation by voters with various forms of disability,” he said.

According to Nura, the commission is paying attention to the accessibility of polling units; availability of voter education materials in appropriate formats, and effective communication with voters with different forms of disabilities.

He said that the commission would deploy appropriate assistive devices in accordance with its procedures, to enhance support for different disability clusters.

Aliyu Shaba, Head of Department, Voter Education, said that the exercise was designed to strengthen implementation of inclusive guidelines, voter education and mobilisation.

He said, “the workshop is about moving from awareness to practical action.

“As we prepare for the 2027 general election, let us strengthen our collective responsibility to ensure interventions reach those for whom they are intended,” he said.

Shaba highlighted that the exercise would strengthen capacity, improve implementation and ensure that no eligible PWDs exercise their franchise.

Also, Sani Sabo, Chairman, Joined Association of Person with Disabilities, lauded the gesture.

Sabo, represented by his deputy, Dalhatu Muhammad, assured their members to mobilise participation in the election. (NAN)