ADC crisis deepens as Court blocks Mark-led caretaker congresses

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognising any state congresses conducted by committees appointed by the caretaker leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) led by former Senate President, David Mark.

In a judgment delivered on Wednesday, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik ruled that the authority to conduct state congresses lies exclusively with the party’s State Executive Committees and not with the national leadership or any interim structure.

The court held that the four-year tenure of the ADC’s State Working Committees and State Executive Committees remains valid and subsisting until properly constituted congresses are held and a national convention is duly convened in line with the party’s constitution.

Justice Abdulmalik further declared that neither the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) nor the ADC constitution empowers the caretaker or interim National Working Committee, headed by David Mark, to appoint committees for the purpose of organising state congresses.

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The court emphasised that any such action taken outside the provisions of the party’s constitution amounts to a violation of internal democratic procedures and is therefore null and void.

The ruling followed a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/581/2026 filed by Don Norman Obinna, Johnny Tovie Derek, Obah C. Ehigiator, Hon. Olona Yinka, Dr. Charles Idowu Omideji, Samuel Pam Gyang, and Obianyo Patrick. The plaintiffs approached the court for themselves and on behalf of all State Chairmen and State Executive Committees of the ADC.

They had challenged the legality of committees constituted by the David Mark-led caretaker leadership to oversee state congresses across the country, arguing that such actions undermined the authority and tenure of duly elected state executives.

With the court’s pronouncement, INEC is barred from recognising or giving effect to any outcome of state congresses conducted under the disputed committees, pending compliance with the party’s constitutional provisions.