Former African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate Dumebi Kachikwu has fired back at former Senate President David Mark, accusing him and his allies of forcefully pushing out legitimate party members and hijacking the party’s structure through what he described as illegitimate congresses and conventions.

Kachikwu made the remarks at a press conference in Abuja alongside state chairmen of the party, following a landmark judgment by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court in Maitama, which nullified the congresses and convention conducted by the Mark-led faction.

The court held that the group lacked the legal standing or locus standi to have conducted the exercises in the first place, describing them as “kangaroo congresses and convention” and barring INEC from recognising or participating in any congress organised by the disputed caretaker leadership.

Kachikwu, visibly emboldened by the ruling, described the judgment as a stinging vindication of his long-standing warnings. “The ADC is not for sale,” he declared. “Those who tried to hijack our party have been shown the way out through the same back door they came in.” He further dismissed the Mark-led faction as “desperados” and “political buccaneers” whose coordinated attempt to seize the party’s structure had collapsed under judicial scrutiny, adding that reports suggested the group was already exploring other political platforms.

“We are aware that they are shopping for other parties to destroy we wish them bon voyage,” he said. The court also ruled that the state chairmen, who constitute the party’s National Executive Committee, are the rightful body empowered to conduct a national convention and congresses at all levels, handing Kachikwu’s camp a significant structural advantage.

With the legal victory secured, Kachikwu vowed that the ADC would formally notify INEC of the judgment, announce dates for a national convention, and field a presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections. Chairman of the ADC State Chairmen, Kingsley Oggah, echoed that commitment, warning that allowing the party to be weakened risked deregistration and urging members to remain vigilant. Despite the court ruling, the ADC’s internal war remains far from completely settled, with multiple legal battles still pending and three factions each staking a claim to the party’s soul. What is clear, however, is that Wednesday’s judgment has shifted momentum decisively in Kachikwu’s favour ahead of what promises to be a bruising political season.