The political crisis within the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has taken another turn following reports that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has listed Professor Chris Uba as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2027 general election, with Dr Shamsuddin Modibbo Barnkido named as his running mate.
The development comes barely a day after the Federal High Court in Abuja nullified the leadership of the ADC faction led by former Senate President David Mark, invalidating the decisions and political activities carried out under its authority, including the presidential primary that produced former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar as the party’s flag bearer.
The latest development has raised fresh questions about the political future of Atiku and former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, who had been associated with the David Mark-led faction’s presidential ticket.
The court judgment, delivered on Thursday, November 5, 2026, by Justice Peter Lifu, followed a legal challenge instituted by Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former Deputy National Chairman of the ADC from the North-East.
Gombe had challenged the process through which David Mark and other members of the caretaker committee assumed control of the party following the resignation of its former National Chairman, Chief Ralph Nwosu.
He argued that under the ADC constitution, he was entitled to assume leadership following Nwosu’s resignation and maintained that the emergence of the Mark-led leadership violated the party’s constitution and relevant provisions of the Electoral Act.
The court upheld his claims and declared the Mark-led caretaker committee illegal. It also invalidated the emergence of Rauf Aregbesola as National Secretary and other national officers appointed under the disputed leadership.
However, the ruling does not automatically establish Professor Chris Uba as the officially recognised ADC presidential candidate. The dispute over the party’s leadership and candidate nominations has a longer history, involving a rival faction led by Nafiu Bala Gombe.
Gombe’s faction had announced Professor Uba as its presidential candidate as far back as May 2026, with Dr Shamsuddeen Modibbo Barkindo named as his running mate. The faction subsequently claimed in July that it had uploaded the particulars of Uba and Barkindo to INEC’s nomination portal.
The commission, however, disputed that claim at the time. INEC spokesperson Mohammed Haruna told PREMIUM TIMES that the commission had provided portal access only to the David Mark-led faction, which it then recognised as the party’s legitimate leadership.
The latest court judgment has now changed the legal situation surrounding the two factions.
What the court decided
In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025, Nafiu Bala Gombe challenged the legality of the process through which Mark and other members of the caretaker committee assumed leadership of the ADC.
Justice Lifu upheld Gombe’s claims and directed that the Mark-led leadership should not continue to exercise authority on behalf of the party.
The judgment also affected the party’s presidential, governorship, senatorial and House of Representatives nominations made under the disputed leadership.
Counsel to the plaintiff, Lukman Fagbemi (SAN), reportedly stated that the court had nullified the actions taken by the ADC under the Mark-led leadership from July 27, 2025.
Another lawyer representing Gombe, Luka Musa Haruna (SAN), said the decision effectively left the party without valid candidates for the 2027 elections, pending the outcome of any appeal.
The ADC has rejected the judgment and announced its intention to challenge it at the Court of Appeal.
There is, however, an important distinction between the rival faction’s nomination of Chris Uba and INEC’s officially published presidential candidates list.
INEC’s updated final list, published on October 31, 2026, still identifies Atiku Abubakar as the ADC presidential candidate and Rotimi Amaechi as his running mate.
The commission’s published document does not list Chris Uba and Barkindo as the party’s presidential and vice-presidential candidates.
Consequently, claims that INEC has already replaced Atiku with Uba following Thursday’s judgment should be treated cautiously. The court ruling may have significant implications for the commission’s recognition of the party’s candidates, but a fresh official list confirming Uba’s nomination has not been established by the available INEC publication.
Nafiu Bala rejects reconciliation
Following the judgment, Nafiu Bala Gombe reportedly ruled out immediate reconciliation with the David Mark-led camp.
He maintained that the court had affirmed his position as the legitimate national chairman of the ADC and directed candidates nominated under his faction to resume their political activities ahead of the 2027 elections.
Gombe also called on Atiku and Mark to register as members of the party in their respective wards before seeking to participate in its affairs.
His position suggests that the dispute may continue despite the latest court decision, particularly if the affected leaders pursue an appeal.
For Atiku and Amaechi, the judgment represents a major legal challenge to the presidential ticket they had been preparing to prosecute under the ADC platform.
Atiku had emerged from the David Mark-led faction’s presidential primary in May 2026, defeating Amaechi and other aspirants to secure the party’s ticket.
He subsequently selected Amaechi, a former governor of Rivers State and former Minister of Transportation, as his running mate.
The court’s decision to invalidate the leadership that organised the primary has placed the legal foundation of their joint ticket in question.
Atiku has rejected the judgment and indicated that it would be challenged, while the ADC leadership has also vowed to pursue an appeal.
The former Vice-President has described the development as an attempt to frustrate his presidential ambition, an allegation that forms part of the political controversy surrounding the ruling.
With the 2027 presidential election approaching, the ADC now faces the challenge of resolving its leadership crisis, determining which faction has the legal authority to nominate candidates and establishing the status of the competing presidential tickets.
The emergence of Chris Uba under the Nafiu Bala faction, alongside the court’s decision against the David Mark-led leadership, has introduced another dimension to the party’s internal dispute.
For now, the central question is whether the judgment will stand on appeal and whether INEC will subsequently recognise a different set of candidates.
Until those issues are resolved and the commission publishes an appropriate official update, Atiku’s removal from the published list and Chris Uba’s recognition as his replacement cannot be presented as an already completed INEC action.
