Barely 24 hours after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) recognised former Senate President David Mark as national chairman and former Interior Minister Rauf Aregbesola as national secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), a legal move to stop the electoral body’s action emerged at the Federal High Court in Abuja. Former ADC deputy national chairman, Hon. Nafiu Bala Gombe, had filed an ex parte application seeking to restrain INEC from recognising Mark and Aregbesola’s leadership of the party.
The ADC leadership has, however, clarified that contrary to misleading reports, the Federal High Court did not issue any order stopping Mark and Aregbesola from performing their roles. According to the party’s national publicity secretary, Malam Bolaji Abdullahi, the presiding judge, Hon. Justice Emeka Nwite, on September 4, 2025, refused the ex parte motion and instead ordered that the defendants be put on notice to appear and show cause why the application should not be granted, before adjourning the matter to September 15. Abdullahi accused the opposing camp of resorting to fake news and described them as political jobbers whose desperation has pushed them to misrepresent the court ruling in a bid to sow confusion. He maintained that INEC’s recognition of the leadership change was a testament to the legitimacy of the process that produced Mark and Aregbesola.
The development has deepened cracks within the ADC, as aggrieved members welcomed what they described as a restraining order against the new leadership. Dr. Christopher O. Okechukwu, who introduced himself as the party’s director of media and public affairs, hailed the court process as a victory for order, insisting that it validated their position and reaffirmed their determination to restore what he called the authentic glory of the ADC. He extended invitations to political heavyweights, including David Mark, Rauf Aregbesola, Nasir El-Rufai, Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, and Rotimi Amaechi, urging them to join the party under the faction loyal to Hon. Nafiu Bala Gombe.
Justice Nwite, however, had made it clear in his ruling that the court did not stop Mark and Aregbesola from assuming office. Instead, the ex parte prayers sought by Bala Gombe through his lawyer were declined, and the matter was adjourned to September 15 for the defendants to show cause. The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025, had named the ADC, David Mark, Rauf Aregbesola, INEC, and former national chairman Ralph Nwosu as defendants.
The crisis has also spread to state chapters of the party. In Imo State, the local government chairmen of the ADC in Owerri Zone issued a communiqué warning against attempts by political actors to hijack the party structure. They vowed to resist any imposition of illegal leadership and declared that no fraudulent list concocted outside the ADC constitution would be recognised. The chairmen emphasised that they remain the only authentic leaders of the party in their respective LGAs and that their mandate came directly from the people.
Similarly, in Kogi State, a concerned group loyal to Rt. Hon. Elder Leke Abejide condemned what it described as a plot by strange interlopers to forcefully take over the ADC in the state. The group warned that the party was built painstakingly from the grassroots and would not be surrendered to opportunists. They cautioned security agencies against providing recognition or cover for any meeting or activity not sanctioned by the recognised state leadership, insisting that any such gathering would be illegal, illegitimate, and a threat to peace in the state.
With INEC’s recognition of the Mark-led leadership and the court’s refusal to grant an interim injunction against them, the ADC leadership crisis appears far from settled. The coming days, particularly the September 15 hearing, are expected to shape the direction of the party’s future as both factions continue to dig in, each claiming legitimacy and warning against attempts to destabilise the ADC.
📌 Reported by: Stone Reporters News
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