Federal High Court: Nafiu Bala's ADC Resignation Letter Declared Forged

• The Federal High Court in Abuja ruled that a purported resignation letter from Nafiu Bala, former ADC Deputy National Chairman, was not genuine.
• Justice Peter Lifu found material differences between the signature on the letter and Bala's verified signatures.
• This ruling undermines a key argument by the David Mark-led faction of the African Democratic Congress.
• The court's judgment also nullified the Mark-led leadership and the party's 2027 presidential nomination of Atiku Abubakar.
• Bala had consistently denied authoring the letter, which the Mark faction relied on to claim his resignation.

The court's rejection of this crucial document significantly weakened a central argument advanced by the Mark-led faction, which had sought to establish Bala's voluntary departure before the party's leadership transition.

The Federal High Court in Abuja has determined that a supposed resignation letter attributed to Nafiu Bala, formerly the Deputy National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), was not authentic. Justice Peter Lifu, presiding over the case, delivered this judgment on Thursday, November 5, concluding that the document lacked genuineness.

Justice Lifu meticulously compared the signature present on the contested letter, identified as Exhibit ADC-1, with signatures found on Bala’s sworn witness statements. This examination revealed significant discrepancies between them. Consequently, the court ruled that the document could not be accepted as credible evidence that Bala had willingly relinquished his position within the party. The judge emphasized that while a document might be certified, this certification alone does not confirm the authenticity of a disputed signature, noting that the court must independently assess all relevant evidence.

This judicial decision is a pivotal moment in the ongoing legal conflict concerning the leadership of the African Democratic Congress. The faction of the ADC led by former Senate President David Mark had relied on this disputed letter to assert that Bala had resigned from his role on May 17, 2025, and that this resignation had been communicated to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

However, Nafiu Bala consistently refuted the authenticity of the letter, labeling it as a forgery. He publicly disavowed the document in April 2026, stating unequivocally that neither the letter itself nor the signature it bore originated from him. Bala initiated legal proceedings in September 2025, challenging the legitimacy of the leadership structure that had installed Mark as the national chairman and Rauf Aregbesola as the national secretary.

The court's rejection of this crucial document significantly weakened a central argument advanced by the Mark-led faction, which had sought to establish Bala's voluntary departure before the party's leadership transition. This ruling forms a critical component of a broader judgment that ultimately nullified the emergence of the David Mark-led leadership within the ADC.

Furthermore, the court's judgment extended to invalidate the party's nomination of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar as its presidential candidate for the upcoming 2027 general election. Justice Lifu's findings also specifically addressed the legitimacy of the process through which Mark and Aregbesola assumed their leadership roles at the party’s 99th National gathering.

Source: Original reporting via PUNCH