The leadership crisis within the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has intensified following a Federal High Court judgment in Abuja invalidating the resignation letter allegedly written by the party’s former Deputy National Chairman, Nafiu Bala Gombe.
The judgment, delivered by Justice Peter Lifu on November 5, also nullified the emergence of the National Working Committee led by former Senate President, David Mark, declaring all decisions taken by the committee since July 29, 2025, null and void. The affected decisions include the process that produced former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections.
The court directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise Gombe as the only elected member of the party’s National Working Committee whose four-year tenure remained valid. However, it declined to declare him the substantive National Chairman, explaining that his entitlement to a particular leadership position required separate legal consideration.
Reacting to the ruling, the ADC rejected the court’s position, insisting that Gombe voluntarily resigned from his position and that the party possessed the original resignation letter bearing his signature. The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said the ADC would appeal the judgment.
INEC, meanwhile, said it would not take any action on the ruling until it obtained and reviewed the Certified True Copy. The commission explained that its legal department would examine the judgment before advising the commission on the next line of action.
The ruling has also triggered protests by ADC members and petitions by party candidates to international organisations, including the United Nations, the United States Embassy, the British High Commission and the European Union. The candidates are demanding the immediate release of the certified judgment to enable them exercise their constitutional right of appeal.
In a related development, the ADC Presidential Campaign Council has criticised the All Progressives Congress over its 2027–2031 manifesto, accusing President Bola Tinubu’s administration of repackaging campaign promises made during the 2023 presidential election.
The council argued that promises on stable electricity, affordable food, employment opportunities, improved security and a stronger naira remained largely unfulfilled. It also questioned the administration’s borrowing and spending, demanding accountability over the revenues generated from the removal of petrol subsidy and other economic reforms.
The ADC campaign council urged Nigerians to reject the APC manifesto, insisting that the country needs tangible results and improved living conditions rather than another set of political promises.
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