The African Democratic Congress, ADC, has filed a suit before a Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking an order compelling the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to restore the names of Senator David Mark and Rauf Aregbesola as the party’s National Chairman and National Secretary, respectively.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025, followed the removal of their names, alongside other members of the party’s National Working Committee, NWC, from INEC’s official portal on April 1.
In a motion on notice dated April 7, filed by counsel to Mark, Sulaiman Usman, SAN, the plaintiff is asking the court to issue a mandatory injunction directing INEC to reinstate the affected officials as they existed before the dispute.
The application, brought under Order 26 Rules 1 to 4 of the Federal High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules, 2019, as well as the court’s inherent jurisdiction, seeks three principal reliefs.
Part of the relief reads: “An order of mandatory injunction, setting aside the decision, act, or directive of the respondent removing the names of the applicant’s National Working Committee from its official portal and the decision of refusal to attend or monitor the applicant’s congresses or convention pending the hearing and determination of the suit.”
It further seeks: “An order of mandatory injunction directing INEC to forthwith restore and maintain records of the names of Senator David Mark as National Chairman and Rauf Aregbesola as National Secretary, as well as all members of the National Executive Committee.”
The plaintiff also prayed the court for: “An order restraining INEC from tampering with, or otherwise interfering with, the said leadership records, or recognising any contrary or competing claims, pending the final determination of the suit.”
The suit arose from the March 12 judgment of the Court of Appeal in a leadership dispute initiated by a former Deputy National Chairman of the party, Nafiu Gombe, before Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court.
In a supporting affidavit, Usman argued that the appellate court had directed parties to maintain the status quo ante bellum, describing it as the last uncontested state of affairs before the dispute.
Meanwhile, immediate past National Chairman of the ADC, Ralph Nwosu, yesterday, said the party will continue preparations for its convention and congresses and won’t be distracted by the leadership crisis rocking the party, which parades some of the biggest opposition politicians in Nigeria.
On a day that the Nafiu Gombe-led factioan of the party held a counter-protest at the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Nwosu, who is backing the Senator David Mark-led leadership of the ADC spoke during an interview on Channels Television.
This was as Civil Society Organisations, CSOs alleged that the Professor Joash Amupitan-led INEC was out to crown President Bola Tinubu; and a chieftain of the ADC, Mr Kenneth Okonkwo, added that the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, does not want elections in 2027.
No going back on our preparation for polls — Nwosu
Insisting that the ADC is moving on with its plans ahead of the 2027 general elections despite INEC’s de-recognition of the Mark and Gombe camps citing court order, Nwosu said: “We are taking the necessary action both in court and with INEC, but we will not allow INEC to derail any of our programmes. After that malicious INEC release, our chairman and the rest of us sat together and decided to move ahead,
“We submitted our programme to INEC according to the law, and they endorsed it—all the dates were endorsed. By the electoral law, whether they show up or not is their own volition; we have not violated anything.
“The congresses have already started. Our national convention, slated for the 14th , will also go on, where we will validate everything we’ve done. We don’t want opportunists in the ADC; we want mission-driven leaders who have the courage to challenge a bad system.”
Nwosu said the ADC will inform INEC of its programmes, including “our upcoming national convention to select our presidential and general candidates. If they don’t accept it, we will publish it to all Nigerian media because they represent the people,” Nwosu, who founded the ADC, said.
Gombe leads ADC counter-protest over INEC recognition dispute
However, the Gombe-led action of the ADC, yesterday, took to the streets of Abuja in a counter-protest, pressing the electoral commission for recognition and warning rival actors to steer clear of the party’s affairs.
Rival camps within the ADC, linked to former Senate President David Mark and the party’s former presidential candidate Dumebi Kachikwu, are now openly battling over who truly runs the party ahead of the 2027 Nigerian general election.
The fight among the camps centres on leadership, control of the party’s structure, and who should be recognised by INEC.
Gombe, who is also laying claim to the party’s national chairmanship, stood with Leke Joseph Abejide, a member of the House of Representatives, during the demonstration, which climaxed at the headquarters of the INEC in the nation’s capital, where they addressed supporters and restated their demand for official recognition.
We won’t allow political nomads to hijack our party — Gombe
Gombe said despite INEC’s position, the David Mark-led faction is going to proceed with the national convention and congresses, insisting that internal processes should not be suspended.
“This confidence is not merely a matter of party politics; it reflects a deeper issue of respect for the rule of law and the principles governing our democracy. We cannot allow political nomads to exploit the vulnerability of our party for their gain. The integrity of INEC and the democratic process in Nigeria depends on our commitment to upholding our constitutional framework and the decisions of the judiciary.”
He urged INEC to comply with what he described as a Court of Appeal order preserving the status quo ante bellum, specifically asking the commission to reflect his position on its official records.
“My prayer as I address you today is that I urge INEC to please place my name on the portal, as required by the status quo antebellum order of the Court of Appeal. This is not just a personal request; it is a plea for justice, accountability, and adherence to the rule of law.
APC doesn’t want 2027 polls — Kenneth Okonkwo
Meanwhile, ADC Chieftain, Kenneth Okonkwo, has accused the ruling APC of plotting to undermine opposition parties ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Speaking to journalists in Enugu, Okonkwo who is also a member of National Working Committee, NWC, alleged that the APC is using state institutions and internal collaborators to destabilise the ADC.
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