A Federal High Court in Abuja has declared a purported resignation letter attributed to former African Democratic Congress (ADC) Deputy National Chairman Nafiu Bala as inauthentic, dealing a blow to claims by a rival party faction.
Justice Peter Lifu, in a judgment delivered on November 5, ruled that the document relied upon by the ADC faction led by former Senate President David Mark could not be accepted as proof that Bala had voluntarily stepped down from his position.
The judge said a comparison of the signature on the disputed letter with those on Bala’s sworn witness statements revealed material differences. “I am not satisfied that Exhibit ADC-1 represents the genuine act of the plaintiff,” he held. “I therefore reject it as reliable proof that the plaintiff voluntarily resigned from his position as Deputy National Chairman of the 1st defendant (ADC).”
Justice Lifu stressed that certification of a document does not automatically settle questions about a disputed signature. “The fact that a document is certified, however, does not, by that fact alone, settle a genuine dispute as to whether the person named in it, actually signed it,” he said. “Certification may establish the status of the copy as a true copy of the document in the custody of the certifying authority; it does not necessarily establish the authenticity of the disputed signature. The court must therefore consider the document alongside the other relevant evidence.”
Bala had approached the court in September 2025 to challenge the leadership arrangement that installed Mark as national chairman and Rauf Aregbesola as national secretary. The Mark-led faction had maintained that Bala resigned on May 17, 2025, and that the resignation was communicated to the Independent National Electoral Commission.
Bala has consistently denied writing the letter. In April 2026 he publicly disowned it, stating: “I wish to state that this paper did not come from me, and that is not my signature on it. The signature you see there was forged.”
The ruling formed part of a broader judgment that 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. The judge also held that the appointment of Mark and Aregbesola at a National Executive Committee meeting in July 2025 failed to meet the mandatory requirement of democratic election under the Electoral Act.
The Mark-led faction has indicated it will appeal the decision, leaving the ADC’s leadership and its preparations for the 2027 elections under continued legal uncertainty.
