The Federal High Court in Abuja has scheduled April 14, 2026, for the hearing of a suit challenging the leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), currently associated with former Senate President, David Mark.
The suit was filed by Nafiu Bala Gombe, who is seeking an order restraining Mark and other party leaders from presenting themselves as executives of the party.
Justice Emeka Nwite fixed the date on Friday after hearing that all parties in the case had been duly notified.
The case, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025, lists the ADC, Mark, former Interior Minister Rauf Aregbesola, the Independent National Electoral Commission, and former ADC Chairman Ralph Nwosu as defendants.
The matter had earlier been adjourned indefinitely pending the outcome of an appeal, but the Court of Appeal, in a judgment delivered on March 12, directed all parties to return to the trial court and maintain the status quo pending determination of the substantive suit.
Following that ruling, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) reportedly removed the names of Mark and Aregbesola from its official portal as national officers of the party.
In response, the Mark-led faction filed a motion on April 7, urging the court to compel INEC to restore their names and also sought accelerated hearing of the case.
However, Mark and Aregbesola have both filed preliminary objections asking the court to dismiss the suit.
Mark argued that the plaintiff lacked the legal standing to institute the case and maintained that internal party disputes are non-justiciable matters.
Aregbesola also described the suit as baseless and urged the court to strike it out, requesting N50 million in damages for what he termed a frivolous action.
Ralph Nwosu also challenged the suit, stating that internal dispute resolution mechanisms of the party were not exhausted before the matter was brought before the court.
