Court declares ADC Deputy Chairman’s resignation letter fake

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has dismissed a purported resignation letter allegedly written by the former Deputy National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Nafiu Bala, declaring the document as fake. The ruling invalidates the leadership transition that brought the current faction into power.

Justice Peter Lifu delivered the judgment, stating that an examination of the signature on the disputed letter and Bala’s sworn statements revealed material differences. The David Mark-led faction of the ADC had relied on the document to argue that Bala voluntarily relinquished his position on May 17, 2025.

The Federal High Court in Abuja ruled that the disputed document tendered by the David Mark-led leadership contained forged signatures and lacked authenticity.

“I am not satisfied that Exhibit ADC-1 represents the genuine act of the plaintiff. I therefore reject it as reliable proof that the plaintiff voluntarily resigned from his position as Deputy National Chairman of the 1st defendant”.

Bala instituted the suit in September 2025 to challenge the legitimacy of the party’s leadership structure that produced David Mark as national chairman and Rauf Aregbesola as national secretary.

He explained that the resignation letter forwarded to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was a complete forgery.

The court ruled that the emergence of Mark and Aregbesola at the party’s National Executive Committee meeting failed to satisfy the mandatory democratic election requirements under Section 82(3) of the Electoral Act 2022.

This judicial decision nullifies the faction’s recent nomination of Atiku Abubakar as its 2027 presidential candidate.
The Mark-led faction has rejected the judgment, announcing plans to challenge the court’s decision on appeal.