By Kingston Magare 5.11.2026
Once again Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja has caused a political stir by sacking the African Democratic Congress executives lead by David Mark.
This ruling delivered Thursday effectively nullified the nomination of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and his running mate Rotimi Amaechi as presidential candidates of the ADC.
Justice Lifu who was delivering judgement in a suit brought by Nafiu Bala Gombe a deputy national chairman North-East who challenged the takeover of the ADC by the Senator David Mark led executive without following laid down procedure when taking over the reins of the ADC in 2025.
Nafiu Bala Gombe argued that he should have been made the chairman of ADC following the resignation of Chief Ralph Nwosu who was national chairman of the party at the time the David Mark led executive took over.
He had urged the court to block the Senator David Mark and Rauf Aregbesola executive committee from parading themselves as leaders of the ADC
Justice Peter Lifu who had in the course of the 2027 elections build up made some high profile rulings that rattled the opposition agreed with the plantiff. He sacked the David Mark led executive and noliffied every action they had taken leading to the January 16, 2027 polls.
ADC national welfare secretary Nkemakolam Ukandu said the party will file an appeal against the judgement.
Some of Justice Peter Lifu’s ruling
June 2026: Deregistration of five opposition parties African Democratic Congress (ADC), Action Alliance (AA), Action Peoples Party (APP), Accord Party (AP), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP)—claiming they failed to meet constitutional performance benchmarks during the 2023 elections. The Court of Appeal subsequently set aside his deregistration order and restored the parties.
November 2025: Halting the PDP National Convention (November 2025): Justice Lifu stopped the main opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) from proceeding with its planned national convention in Ibadan and barred INEC from monitoring or recognizing it, deepening the party’s internal legal crises.