Federal High Court defers hearing in legal challenge to David Mark-led interim leadership of African Democratic Congress; plaintiff alleges breach of party constitution and Electoral Act.
By Maria Yusuf
ABUJA, Nigeria: The leadership crisis rocking the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has taken a further legal turn after the Federal High Court in Abuja adjourned until September 28 a suit challenging the authority of the party’s David Mark-led interim leadership.
The case, instituted by an aggrieved ADC member, Nafiu-Bala Gombe, was scheduled on Monday for the hearing of pending applications before Justice Peter Lifu. Proceedings, however, could not commence because the judge did not sit.
The development effectively pushed the matter to September 28, prolonging a legal dispute that could have significant implications for the party’s leadership structure and its preparations for future electoral activities.
Legal Challenge Targets ADC Interim Leadership
The suit, registered as FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025, seeks an order restraining former Senate President David Mark, ADC National Secretary Rauf Aregbesola and members of the party’s interim National Working Committee from presenting themselves as the legitimate leaders of the party.
Gombe argues that the emergence and continued operation of the interim leadership violated provisions of the ADC constitution as well as relevant sections of Nigeria’s Electoral Act.
The plaintiff has consequently placed the legality of the leadership arrangement before the court, making the eventual judicial determination potentially consequential for the party’s internal administration.
Court Had Earlier Rejected Recusal Bid
The latest adjournment follows an earlier ruling in which Justice Lifu dismissed separate applications filed by the ADC and Aregbesola seeking his withdrawal from the case.
The defendants had asked the judge to recuse himself, citing alleged bias.
Justice Lifu rejected the applications, finding them without merit, and ordered the ADC and Aregbesola to pay N1 million each in costs to Gombe.
Following that ruling, the court had on June 16 fixed the matter for hearing of the outstanding applications.
The failure of the court to sit on Monday means those applications remain unresolved and the substantive challenge has yet to receive the hearing sought by the plaintiff.
Who Are the Parties to the Case?
Gombe named five defendants in the suit: David Mark, Rauf Aregbesola, the African Democratic Congress, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and former ADC National Chairman Ralph Nwosu.
At the centre of the dispute is the legitimacy of the interim National Working Committee and whether the process through which Mark, Aregbesola and other members emerged complied with the party’s governing rules and applicable electoral legislation.
The defendants’ position will ultimately be tested through the judicial process, while the court is expected to determine the legal questions raised by the plaintiff.
A Dispute With Wider Political Implications
The case goes beyond an internal party disagreement because the ADC’s leadership structure intersects with the administration of the party’s affairs and its relationship with the electoral authorities.
Any eventual ruling on whether the interim leadership was constituted in accordance with the ADC constitution and the Electoral Act could therefore affect the political standing and administrative authority of those currently exercising leadership functions within the party.
For now, however, no final determination has been made on the substantive allegations.
The September 28 hearing is expected to provide the next major opportunity for the Federal High Court to consider the outstanding applications and advance the long-running dispute toward judicial resolution.
Conclusion
The adjournment leaves the ADC leadership dispute unresolved and extends uncertainty over the legal status of the Mark-led interim structure.
With the court yet to hear the pending applications, attention will now shift to September 28, when the parties are expected to return before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Until the court reaches a substantive determination, the allegations concerning the validity of the ADC’s leadership arrangement remain contested matters before the judiciary.
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