ADC Crisis: Court Delivers Fresh Verdict on Bala’s Resignation Letter

According to a report by Vanguard on Wednesday 11 November 2026, a Federal High Court in Abuja has invalidated a resignation letter allegedly signed by Nafiu Bala, former Deputy National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), ruling that the document failed to establish that he voluntarily resigned from his position.

Justice Peter Lifu gave the ruling on November 5, 2026, after finding significant differences between the signature on the disputed resignation letter and Bala’s signatures on other documents submitted before the court.

The judgment also declared the emergence of the David Mark-led caretaker leadership of the ADC illegal and nullified decisions taken by the committee, including the nomination of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2027 general election.

Bala had instituted the suit to challenge the appointment of former Senate President David Mark as national chairman and former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola as national secretary of the party.

Their emergence followed the ADC’s 99th National Executive Committee meeting held on July 29, 2025, after the resignation of the party’s former national chairman, Ralph Nwosu.

In his suit, Bala told the court that he was elected Deputy National Chairman on October 12, 2022, for a four-year tenure expected to end on October 11, 2026.

He argued that he remained the only elected member of the party’s National Working Committee who had not resigned following the departure of other members.

The plaintiff maintained that the vacancies created by the resignations should have been filled through democratic elections involving party delegates rather than appointments.

He further alleged that Mark, Aregbesola and 49 others were appointed into the National Working Committee without following the electoral procedures stipulated by the party’s constitution and relevant laws.

A major issue in the case was a resignation letter dated May 17, 2025, which the defendants presented as evidence that Bala had voluntarily relinquished his position. Bala denied signing the document, describing the signature as a forged imitation of his authentic signature.

The ADC and other defendants urged the court to dismiss the suit, insisting that Bala had voluntarily resigned and therefore lacked the legal standing to challenge subsequent decisions of the party.

They argued that the party’s constitution empowered the NEC to dissolve the National Working Committee and appoint or elect national officers between national conventions.

The defendants also maintained that the July 29 meeting was properly convened, monitored by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and subsequently recognised by the commission.

However, Bala challenged the validity of the meeting, alleging that the required procedures for convening it were not followed.

In his judgment, Justice Lifu held that the certification of a document does not automatically establish that the individual named in it actually signed it.

After examining the disputed resignation letter alongside Bala’s sworn statements, the judge concluded that the signatures were materially different.

He consequently ruled that the letter could not serve as valid evidence of Bala’s resignation.

On the emergence of the new ADC leadership, the judge held that the defendants failed to establish that the process complied with Section 82(3) of the Electoral Act 2022, which provides for democratic elections in the selection of party executives.

He explained that INEC’s presence at the meeting and its receipt of the required notice did not amount to proof that a democratic election had taken place.

The court also held that the powers of the party’s NEC could not override constitutional and statutory provisions governing the election of political party officers.

Justice Lifu consequently granted Bala’s substantive claims, nullified the relevant decisions arising from the July 29, 2025 meeting and restrained INEC from recognising or dealing with Mark, Aregbesola and the NWC members they represented as officers of the ADC.