The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has welcomed a Supreme Court ruling affirming Sen. David Mark as National Chairman and Rauf Aregbesola as National Secretary, describing the decision as a victory for the rule of law. In a statement issued in Abuja on Thursday, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, said the judgment reinforced legal principles and validated the party’s leadership structure, while faulting the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) earlier decision to de-recognise the Mark-led leadership.
Abdullahi said the ruling confirmed ADC’s confidence in the judiciary, describing the Supreme Court as the “ultimate guardian of democratic justice,” and praised the five-member panel for delivering a unanimous judgment that strengthened Nigeria’s democratic system.
“ADC congratulates all our members and leaders across the country on today’s Supreme Court ruling affirming our party leadership,” Abdullahi said, adding that the verdict was “a clear and unequivocal affirmation that ADC structures and leadership remained legitimate.”
He noted that the decision had laid to rest “contrived disputes and manufactured uncertainties” surrounding the party’s leadership, stressing that the outcome underscored the principle that the rule of law, not political manipulation, must guide democratic governance.
Despite the victory, Abdullahi said the party would not relent in its broader political objectives, insisting it would not be “intimidated, distracted or silenced” in its mission to provide Nigerians with a credible alternative while addressing insecurity, high living costs and unemployment.
He urged party members and stakeholders to remain vigilant, calling for the immediate restoration of the Mark-led leadership on INEC’s official platforms, and reaffirmed that the party would continue to “speak clearly and act decisively in defence of democracy, justice and the Nigerian people.”
