, Nafiu Bala Gombe, ruling that the disputed document was not genuine and could not be relied upon as evidence of his resignation.){kind=link}
A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has rejected a purported resignation letter allegedly written by former Deputy National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Nafiu Bala Gombe, ruling that the disputed document was not genuine and could not be relied upon as evidence of his resignation.
Justice Peter Lifu, who delivered the judgment on November 5, 2026, reached the conclusion after comparing the signature on the controversial letter with Bala Gombe’s signatures on other documents submitted before the court.
The development, contained in a Certified True Copy (CTC) of the 68-page judgment obtained by journalists on Wednesday, November 11, has dealt another significant blow to the leadership structure of the ADC faction led by former Senate President, Senator David Mark.
The disputed resignation letter, dated May 17, 2025, was presented by the Mark-led faction as evidence that Bala Gombe had voluntarily relinquished his position as Deputy National Chairman before the emergence of the new leadership.
Bala Gombe, however, had consistently denied authoring the letter, insisting that the signature on the document was forged.
In resolving the dispute, Justice Lifu held that the fact that a document had been certified did not automatically establish the authenticity of the signature it contained.
The judge explained that certification merely established the status of a document as a true copy of the record in the custody of the certifying authority, but did not prove that the person named in it actually signed it.
After examining the disputed signature alongside those on Bala Gombe’s sworn witness statements, the judge found that they were materially different and could not reasonably be regarded as belonging to the same person.
“I am not satisfied that Exhibit ADC-1 represents the genuine act of the plaintiff,” Justice Lifu declared.
He consequently rejected the document as reliable proof that Bala Gombe voluntarily resigned his position, adding that the defendants could not rely on it to establish that he had relinquished his office.
The court’s finding formed part of a broader judgment which also invalidated the emergence of the David Mark-led leadership, ruling that the process had not satisfied the statutory requirement for democratic elections under Section 82(3) of the Electoral Act 2022.
The judgment further nullified decisions taken by the disputed leadership, including the nomination of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2027 general election.
However, the ADC has rejected the court’s conclusion on the resignation letter.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, insisted that it possessed the original resignation letter bearing Bala Gombe’s signature, describing the judge’s finding as erroneous.
He said the party would challenge the judgment at the Court of Appeal, maintaining that the disputed document was genuine.
The ruling has further deepened the ADC’s leadership crisis and raised fresh questions about the party’s preparations for the 2027 general elections.