Tensions within the African Democratic Congress (ADC) have escalated, as three disgruntled party members have taken legal action to challenge the legitimacy of its newly installed interim leadership.
The lawsuit, filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeks to oust former Senate President David Mark from his position as Interim National Chairman.
The plaintiffs; Adeyemi Emmanuel, Ayodeji Victor Tolu, and Haruna Ismaila are calling the leadership transition both unconstitutional and illegal.
In suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/1328, they list the ADC as the 1st defendant, while the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the party’s immediate past National Chairman, Ralph Nwosu, are named as 2nd and 3rd defendants respectively.
Also joined in the case are Senator David Mark (4th defendant), former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola (5th defendant) as Interim National Secretary, and ex-Minister of Sports Bolaji Abdullahi (6th defendant) as Interim National Publicity Secretary.
The plaintiffs contend that the appointment of the interim officers contravenes the ADC’s constitution, particularly the 2018 amended version.
They are also raising concerns about whether those appointed were even properly registered members of the ADC when the appointments were made.
Among the key issues the court is being asked to address are:
- Whether the ADC constitution permits the creation of interim leadership roles;
- Whether the Executive Committee of the party can be dissolved in the absence of a formally convened National Convention or an official decision by the National Executive Committee (NEC);
- Whether INEC acted within the law by recognizing the interim leadership;
- And whether the leadership handover contravenes a 2022 ruling by Justice Binta Nyako.
The claimants are urging the court to declare the appointments “unconstitutional, unlawful, null and void” and to rule that they violate the party’s internal rules and structure.
This legal move comes in the wake of a significant political development.
A coalition reportedly backed by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has recently adopted the ADC as a political platform to challenge President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 elections.
Following this realignment, Ralph Nwosu announced the dissolution of the existing party structures to accommodate a new leadership framework, a decision now being hotly contested in court.
As of now, the court has not scheduled a date for hearing the case.
