The leadership crisis rocking the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has taken a fresh twist as the Federal High Court in Abuja has rejected a controversial resignation letter allegedly written by former Deputy National Chairman, Nafiu Bala, declaring it inauthentic.
Justice Peter Lifu, in his judgment delivered on November 5, ruled that the disputed letter, which the faction led by former Senate President David Mark relied on to establish Bala’s resignation, was not genuine.
The judge reached the conclusion after comparing the signature on the document with those on Bala’s sworn statements, finding material differences between them.
In the Certified True Copy of the judgment obtained by our correspondent on Wednesday, Justice Lifu held that the document could not be accepted as proof that Bala voluntarily resigned from his position in the party.
He stressed that the certification of a document did not automatically establish the authenticity of a disputed signature, noting that the court must examine the evidence before reaching a conclusion.
The judge consequently rejected Exhibit ADC-1, the disputed resignation letter, declaring that he was not satisfied that it represented Bala’s genuine act.
“I therefore reject it as reliable proof that the plaintiff voluntarily resigned from his position as Deputy National Chairman of the 1st defendant (ADC),” he ruled.
Bala had approached the court in September 2025, challenging the leadership arrangement that produced Mark as national chairman and Rauf Aregbesola as national secretary.
The Mark-led faction had claimed that Bala resigned on May 17, 2025, adding that his resignation was subsequently communicated to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
But Bala repeatedly denied authoring the letter, insisting that both its contents and the signature on it were forged.
In April 2026, he publicly disowned the document, maintaining that he never resigned from his position.
The court’s rejection of the letter dealt a blow to a major argument advanced by the Mark-led faction to justify the leadership transition.
Justice Lifu also ruled that the emergence of Mark and Aregbesola at the party’s 99th National Executive Committee meeting on July 27, 2025, failed to meet the mandatory requirement of democratic election under Section 82(3) of the Electoral Act 2022.
He held that neither the powers of the party’s National Executive Committee nor INEC’s subsequent recognition of the leadership arrangement could replace compliance with the law.
The judgment also nullified the emergence of the Mark-led leadership and the party’s nomination of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar as its presidential candidate for the 2027 general election.
However, the Mark-led faction has rejected the ruling and indicated plans to challenge it on appeal, further deepening the uncertainty surrounding the party’s leadership and preparations for the 2027 polls.
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