A Federal High Court in Abuja has invalidated a resignation letter attributed to Nafiu Bala, the former Deputy National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), ruling it to be a forgery.

Delivering judgment, Justice Peter Lifu concluded that the document, which was central to the defense presented by an ADC faction, lacked authenticity. The court examined the signature on the disputed letter and compared it directly with undisputed specimen signatures found on Bala's sworn witness statements, identifying significant and irreconcilable differences between them.

The court clarified that while certification confirms a document is a true copy of an official record, it does not validate the authenticity of a disputed signature contained within it. The judge emphasized that courts possess the authority to compare contested signatures against established specimens independently, without necessarily requiring forensic expert testimony in every instance. Consequently, the court dismissed the letter as reliable evidence of any voluntary resignation by Bala.

This ruling severely undermined the legal standing of the faction's leadership structure, which had relied on the purported resignation to justify subsequent administrative changes. Furthermore, the court ruled that the emergence of the faction's key leaders during a National Executive Committee meeting failed to comply with mandatory democratic election requirements stipulated under Section 82(3) of the Electoral Act 2022. The court held that internal party powers and subsequent regulatory recognition could not override statutory compliance.

The judgment has escalated the ongoing leadership crisis within the party, resulting in the nullification of the party's leadership arrangement and its presidential nomination for the upcoming general election. Representatives for the affected faction have expressed disagreement with the ruling and announced plans to pursue an appeal, leaving the party's electoral preparations facing substantial legal ambiguity.