Court fixes April 14 for hearing in ADC leadership dispute

The Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed April 14 to hear a suit challenging the leadership of the African Democratic Congress, as the opposition party’s deepening internal crisis spills further into the courts, the streets, and Nigeria’s electoral commission.

The suit, filed by Nafiu Bala Gombe and marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025, is seeking to stop former Senate President David Mark and other party leaders from parading themselves as executives of the party. Justice Emeka Nwite fixed April 14 for hearing after notices were issued to all parties in the case. The defendants listed are the ADC, Mark, former Interior Minister Rauf Aregbesola, the Independent National Electoral Commission, and former ADC Chairman Ralph Nwosu.

The matter had earlier been adjourned indefinitely pending the outcome of an appeal challenging an earlier court order. However, the Court of Appeal, in a judgment delivered on March 12, directed parties to return to the trial court and maintain the status quo pending the determination of the substantive suit.

The leadership dispute dates to September 2025, when the trial court declined an ex parte application by Gombe seeking to halt the activities of the Mark-led leadership. The Mark-led faction subsequently approached the Court of Appeal to challenge the jurisdiction of the lower court and the appellate court directed all parties to return to the Federal High Court and maintain the existing leadership structure pending resolution.

The situation then took a sharper turn. On April 1, INEC deleted the names of David Mark as National Chairman and Rauf Aregbesola as National Secretary from its official portal, a move the electoral body said was in implementation of the Court of Appeal order.

In response, the Mark-led faction filed a motion on April 7 before Justice Nwite, seeking a mandatory injunction compelling INEC to restore the names of its National Working Committee members to the commission’s records and to halt what it described as interference in its party congresses and convention. The faction’s lawyer, Sulaiman Usman (SAN), argued that the continuing uncertainty was affecting the ADC’s internal administration, impeding its participation in political activities, and creating avoidable institutional confusion.

The defendants are not standing idle. Mark, in his preliminary objection, argued that Gombe lacked locus standi to institute the case, claiming he had resigned his position as Deputy National Chairman. He also argued that the suit bordered on internal party affairs, which were non-justiciable. Aregbesola, in a counter-affidavit, urged the court to dismiss the suit as unmeritorious and sought N50 million in costs against the plaintiff for what he called a frivolous suit. Nwosu also challenged the suit, arguing that it was premature and that internal dispute mechanisms of the party had not been exhausted before approaching the court.

Senator Victor Umeh, representing Anambra Central and a member of the ADC, went further, invoking Section 83, Subsection 5 of the Electoral Act 2026 as amended, which he said explicitly bars Nigerian courts from entertaining jurisdiction over internal party affairs, arguing that any court order touching on ADC’s leadership is therefore legally void.

With litigation running in parallel, the rival factions are also battling for public visibility. The Gombe-led faction staged a counter-protest at INEC headquarters in Abuja, demanding recognition from the electoral commission. Meanwhile, ADC chieftain Kenneth Okonkwo alleged that the ruling All Progressives Congress was attempting to weaken opposition parties ahead of the 2027 elections, accusing state institutions and internal collaborators of being used to destabilise the ADC.

The Nwosu-backed, Mark-led faction, for its part, has announced plans to proceed with its national convention on April 14, the same date the court has fixed for hearing, saying the congresses have already started and that it will “validate everything” at the convention. “We don’t want opportunists in the ADC; we want mission-driven leaders who have the courage to challenge a bad system,” Nwosu said.

April 14 now stands as a pivotal date for the ADC on two fronts simultaneously, in the courtroom and in the convention hall, as the party attempts to position itself as a credible opposition force ahead of the 2027 general elections, even as its own house remains visibly divided.