Legal battle against David Mark, Aregbesola’s leadership of ADC resumes Sept 14
The legal dispute regarding the leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) is set to continue on Monday, September 14, at the Federal High Court in Abuja. Senator David Mark, Rauf Aregbesola, and other defendants are contesting a suit filed by Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former Deputy National Chairman of the party.
The case, brought against the National Executive Committee led by Mark, is scheduled for a hearing before Justice Peter Odo Lifu. According to a notice from the court, the proceedings will begin at 9 a.m. on the day the 2026 court annual vacation is expected to conclude.
This hearing follows Justice Lifu’s imposition of a fine totaling N3 million on Mark, Aregbesola, and the ADC. The fine was a result of their attempts to delay the proceedings through a series of motions deemed unmeritorious. Justice Lifu labeled these actions as a deliberate effort to waste the court’s time, imposing a penalty of N1 million each to be paid to Gombe and two other plaintiffs.
Mark, Aregbesola, and others had submitted 27 separate motions aimed at dismissing Gombe’s case at the preliminary stage. However, the court rejected these motions for being frivolous and without merit. Several members of the ADC’s National Working Committee also sought to join the case as defendants, but their requests were denied. The judge indicated that their interests would be addressed in the ruling concerning Mark and Aregbesola, who are being sued in their capacities as National Chairman and National Secretary of the ADC.
The hearing on September 14 will focus on the adoption of briefs from the parties involved, after which a date for final judgment is expected to be announced. Gombe is seeking an injunction to prevent Mark, Aregbesola, and others from presenting themselves as leaders of the party. He has named the ADC, Mark, Aregbesola, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and former National Chairman Ralph Nwosu as defendants in the case.
Gombe’s claims center on allegations that the appointments of Mark and Aregbesola as national leaders contravene the ADC constitution and the Electoral Act, which governs how political parties should conduct leadership elections through National Conventions.
