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The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has approached the Court of Appeal to challenge the Federal High Court judgment that nullified the national leadership of the party led by former Senate President, David Mark.
The party has also filed an application for a stay of execution, urging the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to refrain from taking any action that could affect the outcome of the pending appeal.
The ADC disclosed this in a statement issued on Friday by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of its Presidential Campaign Council, confirming that both the appeal and application for a stay of execution were formally filed on November 6, 2026.
The party called on INEC to respect the judicial process and allow the appellate court to determine the legal issues surrounding its leadership crisis before taking any consequential decision.
The appeal follows a judgment delivered on Thursday, November 5, by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, which nullified the emergence of Mark as the party’s National Chairman and Rauf Aregbesola as National Secretary.
The court ruled in favour of Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former Deputy National Chairman of the ADC from the North-East, who had challenged the process that produced the interim leadership following the resignation of the party’s former National Chairman, Ralph Nwosu.
Gombe had argued that he was constitutionally entitled to assume the party’s leadership after Nwosu’s resignation, rather than the appointment of a caretaker committee headed by Mark.
In its ruling, the court also invalidated appointments and other decisions taken by the disputed leadership, including the party’s presidential primary that produced former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar as its candidate for the 2027 general election.
The judgment further directed INEC not to recognise decisions reached at the ADC’s 99th National Executive Committee meeting held on July 27, 2025.
Reacting to the development, the Mark-led faction maintained that it would pursue all available legal options to challenge the judgment, assuring party members that the court proceedings would not disrupt its political activities.
Shaibu urged members and supporters to remain calm, expressing confidence that the issues would receive proper consideration at the appellate court.
He also reaffirmed the party’s commitment to continuing its political engagements, insisting that the ADC would pursue its legal rights while defending the democratic interests of its members and supporters.
The appeal sets the stage for another round of legal proceedings in the ADC leadership crisis, with significant implications for the party’s preparations and participation in the 2027 general election.
