Drama In ADC: Court Clash Erupts As Party Rejects Judicial Role In Leadership Crisis

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has urged the Federal High Court in Abuja to throw out a suit challenging its interim leadership led by former Senate President, David Mark.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

In a preliminary objection filed on Monday, ADC’s counsel, Shuaibu Aruwa (SAN), argued that the case—brought by ex-Deputy National Chairman, Nafiu Bala Gombe—was instituted in bad faith and amounted to an abuse of court process.

The party maintained that disputes over its leadership are strictly internal matters and therefore outside the jurisdiction of Nigerian courts.

Aruwa submitted, “Courts in Nigeria, including the Supreme Court, have consistently held that issues of political party leadership are non-justiciable and beyond judicial intervention.”

Citing precedents, ADC stressed that political parties are voluntary associations and that internal disagreements, especially those involving leadership tussles, cannot be adjudicated upon by the courts.

The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025, lists five defendants: the ADC, Senator David Mark, former Osun Governor Rauf Aregbesola, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and former party chairman, Chief Ralph Nwosu.

Gombe, the plaintiff, is laying claim to the chairmanship and had sought an interim injunction to stop INEC from recognising Mark’s leadership. However, Justice Emeka Nwite, in a September 4 ruling, refused the ex parte motion and directed that all defendants be personally served.

At Monday’s sitting, both ADC and INEC were represented in court, but members of Mark’s National Working Committee were absent. INEC’s counsel, Kingsley Magbai, confirmed receiving the summons, but the court observed that the copy filed was blank, stressing that proper service must be done.

The judge adjourned the matter to September 30 for further hearing.

This legal tussle comes shortly after INEC updated its records to reflect the Mark-led committee and following ADC’s announcement, under its founding chairman Ralph Nwosu, of its merger into a coalition aligned with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar ahead of the 2027 elections.