ADC Crisis Deepens: Mark Faction Vows To Continue Campaign As Keyamo Says Atiku May Miss Ballot

The crisis rocking the African Democratic Congress (ADC) deepened on Sunday as the David Mark-led faction vowed to continue its presidential campaign despite a Federal High Court judgment nullifying its leadership, while the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, warned that its candidates, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, risk being left off the 2027 ballot.

Keyamo clarified that the ADC will still feature in the 2027 general elections, but candidates produced by the Mark-led faction may be excluded depending on the final decision of the Supreme Court on the party’s leadership dispute.

He gave the clarification in a post on his verified X handle on Sunday, amid fears that the recent Federal High Court judgment sacking the Mark-led leadership could knock the ADC out of the elections.

On Thursday, the Federal High Court in Abuja nullified the Mark-led leadership of the ADC and voided decisions taken by the faction, including the presidential primary that produced Abubakar as the party’s candidate for 2027.

The ruling came after a long-running leadership crisis in the opposition party, characterised by rival claims to its national leadership and multiple court cases.

The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025, was filed by former ADC Deputy National Chairman (North-East), Nafiu Gombe, who challenged the process that brought Mark and other members of the caretaker committee into office.

Gombe contended that, following the resignation of former National Chairman Ralph Nwosu, he was constitutionally entitled to assume leadership of the party.

The judgment has created fresh uncertainty within the ADC, especially over the fate of Abubakar’s presidential nomination and the party’s preparations for 2027.

The Mark-led faction has rejected the ruling and vowed to appeal, while Abubakar and the party have also announced plans to challenge the decision.

Following the judgment, the Independent National Electoral Commission said it would not take a position on the ADC leadership crisis until it receives and studies the certified true copy of the Federal High Court judgment that invalidated the David Mark-led leadership.

Keyamo maintained that the judgment should not be read as a ban on the party, stressing that the ADC remains eligible to field candidates through its recognised leadership structure.

“For the education of the public, those raising false alarm that the court judgment on ADC means the party will not be on the ballot are spreading misinformation.

“The ADC will be on the ballot. It is the David Mark faction of candidates, including Atiku Abubakar, that may not be on the ballot, depending on the final judgment of the Supreme Court,” he said.

Responding to protests and criticisms trailing the judgment, Keyamo questioned why the decision was being framed as an attempt to stop the ADC from contesting.

He argued that the rights of candidates who emerged under the party’s original leadership structure should also be protected, insisting they should not be sidelined in the dispute.

“Therefore, the question we must ask those raising hell is: are those Nigerians who successfully won their primaries under the faction of the original owners of the ADC lesser humans or lesser Nigerians than David Mark and Atiku Abubakar?” he asked.

Despite the judgment, the Senator David Mark-led faction has said it will continue its presidential campaign in states ahead of the 2027 election.

The Director-General of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Senator Austin O. Akobundu, expressed gratitude to supporters who turned out in large numbers to welcome Atiku and his running mate, Rotimi Amaechi, in Sokoto and Kebbi.

He described the welcome as a powerful expression of the people’s enthusiasm for the ADC campaign and their determination to have a voice in the country’s future.