The leadership dispute within the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has escalated, with a faction led by Senator David Mark asking the Federal High Court in Abuja to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to reinstate its officials on the commission’s records.
The case, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025, stems from INEC’s decision on April 1 to remove the names of Mark as National Chairman and Rauf Aregbesola as National Secretary from its portal.
Through his counsel, Sulaiman Usman, SAN, Mark filed a motion on April 7 seeking a court order to reverse the action and restore the party’s National Working Committee as it existed before the current dispute.
Part of the request 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.”
The application also asks the court for “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.”
It further seeks “an order restraining INEC from tampering with, or otherwise interfering with, the said leadership records of the 1st defendant, recognising or giving effect to any contrary or competing claims, pending the final determination of this suit.”
The legal battle is linked to the March 12 judgment of the Court of Appeal in a suit filed by Nafiu Gombe, a former deputy national chairman of the party.
Arguing in support of the motion, Usman maintained that the appellate court had instructed all parties to preserve the status quo ante bellum, meaning the last undisputed leadership arrangement before litigation began.
“As of Sept. 2, 2025, when this action was instituted, the 2nd defendant (Senator David Mark) was the recognised national chairman of the 1st defendant.
“The said leadership structure had already been constituted. The plaintiff had already resigned his prior office and had no subsisting role within the party,” Usman said.
READ ALSO: Crisis Deepens In ADC As Bala Leads Protest Against Mark-Led Faction
He argued that INEC’s decision to delete the names of the party’s leadership was based on a misreading of the appellate court’s directive, creating uncertainty within the party’s structure.
According to him, the commission’s action amounts to a refusal to recognise the leadership, which he said contradicts the intent of the court’s ruling and threatens the integrity of the ongoing case.
“The law is settled that a mandatory injunction may be granted at an interlocutory stage to restore a party to the position wrongfully altered. This is a proper case for the exercise of the equitable jurisdiction of this honourable court,” Usman added.
In a related move, the faction also applied for an expedited hearing, stressing the urgency of resolving the dispute and its implications for the party’s activities.
The application calls for a shortened timeline for filing court processes and requests daily sittings until the matter is concluded.
Usman warned that continued uncertainty could disrupt the party’s operations and encourage the emergence of rival leadership structures.
“The continued pendency of the suit is capable of rendering the subject matter nugatory,” he said.
Records show that the disagreement dates back to September 2025, when a Federal High Court declined an ex parte application by Gombe seeking to suspend the activities of the Mark-led leadership. The court instead ordered all parties to be notified.
The Mark faction later challenged the jurisdiction of the trial court at the Court of Appeal, which directed parties to return to the lower court and maintain the status quo ante bellum.
In the substantive suit, Gombe named the ADC, Mark, Aregbesola, INEC and Ralph Nwosu as defendants. Nwosu had earlier stepped down, paving the way for Mark to assume leadership of the party.