Court dismisses Mark-led ADC leadership’s objection against Gombe’s suit
Federal High Court Dismisses ADC Leadership Challenge
ABUJA — The Federal High Court dismissed an application on Friday from the leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) led by Sen. David Mark, which sought to challenge Nafiu-Bala Gombe’s request to amend his lawsuit.
Gombe, a former Deputy National Chairman of the ADC, is seeking an injunction to prevent Mark and Rauf Aregbesola from claiming leadership roles within the party. In a motion filed by his attorney, Lukman Fagbemi, SAN, Gombe aimed to modify the reliefs in his original summons. However, Mark and Aregbesola filed objections against this amendment.
Justice Peter Lifu characterized the objections from Mark, the ADC’s National Chairman, and Aregbesola, the National Secretary, as “frivolous” and lacking merit. He stated that the proposed amendment was a common practice in civil litigation intended to prevent a miscarriage of justice.
The judge noted that Gombe’s request for an amendment was prompted by a change of legal representation and deemed the leadership’s apprehensions as “unnecessary.” Justice Lifu indicated that Mark and the other defendants could still file counter-affidavits against the amended summons.
In his ruling, Justice Lifu expressed that he found no basis for the defendants’ concerns regarding potential prejudice from the amendment and subsequently allowed the changes. He also imposed fines of N500,000 on both Mark and Aregbesola, to be paid to Gombe.
Mark and Aregbesola had argued against the amendment, warning that it could lead to an unfair advantage for Gombe following their earlier filings. They maintained that the legal principles of natural justice would be compromised if the amendment was permitted.
Aregbesola’s legal counsel, Realwan Okpanachi, contended that Gombe was attempting to alter the substance of his case through the requested amendment, particularly emphasizing that the ADC National Executive Committee had legally conducted a leadership change on July 29, 2025.
The defendant’s legal team asserted that Gombe’s adjustments included introducing different documents, claiming that the changes were made in bad faith following a Supreme Court ruling that called for expedited hearings in the case.
Gombe’s lawsuit also names the ADC, INEC, and former ADC National Chairman Ralph Nwosu as defendants. He contended that the election of Mark and Aregbesola as national leaders contravened the ADC Constitution and the Electoral Act.
