The Federal High Court in Abuja has held that the purported resignation letter of the former Deputy National Chairman (North-East) of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Nafiu Bala, was not authentic.
Justice Peter Lifu made the finding in his November 5 judgment, a certified true copy of which Punch obtained on Wednesday.
The David Mark-led faction of the party relied on the letter as proof that Bala resigned before the leadership change that produced Mark as National Chairman.
The judge said that after comparing the signature on the disputed letter with those on Bala’s sworn witness statements, he found material differences.
He held that the letter could not be relied upon as evidence that Bala voluntarily left his position. Justice Lifu noted that certifying a document did not automatically confirm the genuineness of 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.
“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,” he said.
He added that a court could compare disputed signatures with established specimens without necessarily requiring expert evidence.
“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 (ADC),” the judge ruled.
The Mark-led faction had maintained that Bala resigned on May 17, 2025, and that his resignation was communicated to the Independent National Electoral Commission.
Bala, however, consistently denied writing the letter, describing it as forged. In April 2026, he publicly disowned the document.
“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,” he had said.
Justice Lifu also held that the emergence of Mark and Rauf Aregbesola at the party’s 99th National Executive Committee meeting on July 27, 2025, did not satisfy the requirement of democratic election under Section 82(3) of the Electoral Act.
He said reliance on the NEC’s powers and INEC’s recognition of the leadership could not replace compliance with the law.
The judgment nullified the Mark-led leadership and the nomination of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar as the party’s presidential candidate.
The Mark-led faction has rejected the ruling and filed an appeal, leaving the party’s preparations for the 2027 elections in uncertainty.
