The Federal High Court in Abuja has adjourned until 14 April its judgement in a suit filed by Leke Abejide against former Senate President David Mark and ex-Governor Rauf Aregbesola over the leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Judgement was scheduled for Monday before Justice Musa Liman, but the presiding judge was reportedly absent due to another official engagement. Justice Liman had fixed today’s date on Friday after counsel adopted their processes and presented final arguments.
Mr Abejide, a House of Representatives member elected on the ADC platform, is seeking an order to restrain Messrs Mark and Aregbesola from parading themselves as the party’s national chairman and national secretary, respectively.
In the originating summons (FHC/ABJ/CS/1637/2025), filed on 15 February 2026 by his counsel, Ibrahim Idris, SAN, the lawmaker named the ADC, Ralph Nwosu, Messrs Mark and Aregbesola, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as first to fifth defendants.
Mr Nwosu is the former ADC national chairman who stepped down in favour of Mr Mark.
Among eight reliefs, Mr Abejide seeks to nullify Mr Nwosu’s handover of ADC leadership to Messrs Mark and Aregbesola as interim national chairman and interim national secretary on 2 July 2025 at the Shehu Musa Yar’adua Centre, Abuja. He argues the handover was illegal, unlawful, and void.
He also seeks a perpetual injunction restraining Messrs Mark and Aregbesola from holding themselves out as party leaders, and restraining INEC from recognising them, on the grounds that their appointment did not meet the requirements of Section 82 of the Electoral Act 2022.
The defendants – the ADC, Mr Nwosu, Mr Mark, and Mr Aregbesola – have urged the court to dismiss the suit. They argue that Mr Abejide lacks legal standing, that the matter concerns a political party’s internal affairs and is therefore non-justiciable, and that the court has no jurisdiction.
They further contend that the Mark-led leadership was duly elected at a National Executive Committee meeting on 29 July 2025 – not on 2 July – and that the suit is academic. They have asked the court to dismiss the case with substantial costs under Section 83(5) of the Electoral Act 2026.
Counsel for INEC, Anthony Onyeri, also prayed the court to dismiss the suit, having filed an eight-paragraph counter-affidavit with an exhibit marked ‘Exhibit INEC-1’.
(NAN)
