Court Adjourns Suit Seeking To Sack David Mark-Led ADC Leadership

The Federal High Court in Abuja has adjourned a suit challenging the leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) led by former Senate President David Mark.

Naija News reports that the case, filed by an aggrieved ADC member, Nafiu-Bala Gombe, was scheduled for hearing on Monday, September 14, 2026, but could not go ahead because the presiding judge, Justice Peter Lifu, did not sit.

The court consequently fixed September 28 for the hearing of the matter.

Gombe is asking the court to stop Mark, former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola and other members of the party’s interim National Working Committee from presenting themselves as leaders of the ADC.

The plaintiff is challenging the process through which Mark, Aregbesola and other members of the interim leadership emerged, arguing that it did not comply with the provisions of the ADC constitution and the Electoral Act.

The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025, lists the ADC, Mark, Aregbesola, the Independent National Electoral Commission and former ADC National Chairman Ralph Nwosu as the first to fifth defendants.

The matter had earlier been scheduled for the hearing of pending applications after Justice Lifu dismissed requests by the ADC and Aregbesola asking him to withdraw from the case.

The two defendants had sought the judge’s recusal over allegations of bias, but the court rejected their applications.

Following the dismissal, Justice Lifu imposed a ₦1 million fine on both the ADC and Aregbesola, with the money awarded in favour of Gombe.

Nwosu, who previously headed the ADC, stepped down from the position before the emergence of the Mark-led interim leadership.