Legal battle against David Mark, Aregbesola’s leadership of ADC resumes Sept 14

The legal battle against the leadership of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, by Senator David Mark, Rauf Aregbesola and others resumes at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday, September 14.

The suit instituted against the National Executive Committee, NEC, of the party led by former President of Nigeria’s Senate, David Mark, is billed for determination by Justice Peter Odo Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja.

A hearing notice issued by the court, served on parties involved in the leadership tussle and sighted by DAILY POST, noted that the hearing will resume by 9am on the day the 2026 court annual vacation is expected to end.

This is coming on the backdrop of the N3 million imposed on Mark, Aregbesola and the ADC for their attempt to slow down and frustrate the hearing of the suit through a series of motions considered by Justice Lifu as unmeritorious and a deliberate bid to waste the judicial time of the court.

Justice Peter Lifu, in composite rulings, slammed a fine of N1 million each on Mark, Aregbesola and ADC as punishment for their actions, to be paid to a former Deputy National Chairman of the party, Nafiu Bala Gombe, and two others who filed the case against them.

Mark, Aregbesola, ADC and others had filed a total of 27 separate motions attacking the case of Gombe and praying for its dismissal at the preliminary stage but were thrown out by the Judge for being frivolous and baseless.

Specifically, several members of the National Working Committee NWC of ADC filed separate motions praying to be joined as defendants in the suit.

The Judge rejected their bids on the ground that their interest would be decided in the decision on David Mark and Aregbesola, who were sued as the National Chairman and National Secretary of the ADC along with the NWC.

However, a look at the hearing notice issued for September 14 indicated that parties are to adopt their briefs of argument, after which a date for final judgment would be fixed.

Nafiu Gombe, a former National Deputy Chairman of the ADC, is seeking an order restraining Mark, Aregbesola and others from parading themselves as leaders of the party.

The plaintiff sued the ADC, Mark, Aregbesola, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and the party’s former National Chairman, Ralph Nwosu, as first to fifth defendants, respectively.

The grouse of Gombe was predicated on the claim that the emergence of Mark and Aregbesola and others as national leaders of the party violated the provisions of the ADC constitution as well as the Electoral Act guiding how political parties’ leadership would emerge through National Conventions, as against the alleged hijack by the current leaders of the party.