A Federal High Court rejects Nafiu Bala’s ADC resignation letter, finding the disputed signature materially different from his sworn statements

The Federal High Court in Abuja has rejected a disputed resignation letter allegedly written by former African Democratic Congress Deputy National Chairman, Nafiu Bala, ruling that the document was not reliable evidence that he voluntarily relinquished his position.

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Justice Peter Lifu, in a judgment delivered on November 5, 2026, held that the signature on the letter relied upon by the faction led by former Senate President David Mark differed materially from signatures on Bala’s witness statements on oath.

The findings were contained in a Certified True Copy of the judgment obtained by PUNCH on Wednesday.

The judge said certification of a document does not, by itself, establish the authenticity of a disputed signature. He explained that although certification could confirm that a copy accurately reflected a document held by an authority, it did not necessarily prove that the person named in it had signed it.

Justice Lifu said the court was entitled to examine the disputed document alongside other relevant evidence, including admitted signatures, to determine its authenticity.

After comparing the signature on the purported resignation letter, tendered as Exhibit ADC-1, with those on Bala’s sworn statements, the judge found material differences.

“I am not satisfied that Exhibit ADC-1 represents the genuine act of the plaintiff,” he held.

He consequently rejected the document as reliable proof that Bala had voluntarily resigned as the party’s deputy national chairman.

The ruling is a significant development in the ADC leadership dispute, which centres on the legitimacy of the leadership arrangement that produced Mark as national chairman and Rauf Aregbesola as national secretary.

Bala instituted the suit in September 2025, challenging the process that brought the two men into the party’s leadership.

The Mark-led faction had maintained that Bala resigned on May 17, 2025, and that the letter communicating his resignation was subsequently submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission.

Bala, however, repeatedly denied authoring the document, describing it as forged. In April 2026, he publicly disowned both the letter and the signature attributed to him.

The court’s rejection of the document undermines the faction’s reliance on the alleged resignation to establish that Bala had vacated his position before 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, had not been shown to comply with the mandatory requirement for democratic election under Section 82(3) of the Electoral Act 2022.

The judge held that the powers of the party’s National Executive Committee and INEC’s subsequent recognition of the leadership arrangement could not replace compliance with the statutory requirement.

The judgment also nullified the emergence of the Mark-led leadership and raised further questions about the party’s preparations for the 2027 general election, including the nomination of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar as its presidential candidate.

The Mark-led faction rejected the judgment and indicated its intention to appeal, setting the stage for further legal proceedings over control of the party.

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The dispute leaves the ADC facing continued uncertainty over its leadership and electoral preparations as the 2027 elections approach.