Court Declines To Stop Mark, Aregbesola ADC Leadership

A FEDERAL High Court in Abuja has refused to grant an application seeking to stop the David Mark-led leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), pending the hearing of the substantive suit.
The trial Judge, Justice Emeka Nwite, declined the three prayers sought in the ex-parte motion filed by Nafiu-Bala Gombe, a former deputy national chairman of the party, represented by his lawyer, Michael Agber.
Instead, Justice Nwite directed the plaintiff in the suit, Gombe, to put all the defendants on notice to show cause why the motion should not be granted.
According to the to the Certified True Copy obtained by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday, September 11, the Judge, in a ruling delivered on September 4, adjourned the matter until September 15 for the defendants to show cause.
The court ruling is contrary to reports in some section of the media.
Recall that Mark, a former senate president, is the current National Chairman of the party, while former Osun State governor, Rauf Aregbesola, is the National Secretary.
Gombe, in the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025, had dragged ADC, Mark, Aregbesola, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Ralph Nwosu, the party’s former national chairman, to court, as 1st to 5th defendants, respectively.
In the ex-parte motion, dated and filed on September 2, the plaintiff sought three reliefs- an order of interim injunction restraining the 4th defendant (INEC) from recognising the 2nd (Mark) and 3rd (Aregbesola) defendants as the national chairman and national secretary of the 1st defendant (ADC), pending the hearing of the motion on notice; an order of interim injunction restraining the 2nd and 3rd defendants their cohorts from parading themselves as national chairman and national secretary of the 1st defendant, pending hearing in the motion on notice already filed and served in this matter; and an order restraining the 4th defendant/ respondent from recognising and or dealing with the 2nd and 3rd defendants.
In reaction to the misleading report on the court’s proceeding and ruling, the party insisted that no court injunction was granted against Mark and Aregbesola.
ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bola Abdullahi, in a statement on Thursday, explained that after failing to prevent the INEC from recognising the party’s leadership change, political opportunists have now resorted to spreading fake news.
Recall that INEC, on Wednesday, September 10,
officially recognised Mark and Aregbesola as national chairman and national secretary, respectively.
But by Thursday morning, September 11, there were reports that Gombe had obtained a court order restraining Mark and others.
Abdullahi, while dismissing the reports as fake news, urged the public to disregard it, adding: “Contrary to some misleading publications, the court did not issue any order restraining Mark and Aregbesola from functioning as the National Chairman and National Secretary of the ADC, respectively.
“Instead, the court refused the ex-parte application brought by Gombe and directed that the matter proceed with due process.
“The ruling, delivered by Justice Emeka Nwite on September 4, 2025, clearly stated the following four orders: That the Plaintiff/Applicant’s application dated and filed on September 2, 2025, is refused.
“That the Plaintiff/Applicant is hereby directed to put the Defendants on notice.
“That the Defendants/Respondents are ordered to appear before this Honourable Court to show cause why the application should not be granted.
“That the case is adjourned to September 15, 2025, for the Defendants/Respondents to show cause.
“The Order was duly signed and issued by Justice Emeka Nwite, Presiding Judge, and certified by Kasope Kafayat Bola, Registrar of the Federal High Court.”
Describing the report as a distortion of the court’s ruling, he said “having failed to stop INEC from acknowledging the leadership change in ADC, the political jobbers are now resorting to fake news.
“This goes to show that these agents of destablisation will stop at nothing, including misrepresenting court rulings, in their desperate efforts to sow confusion and further undermine opposition parties.
“In this regard, the leadership of the ADC urges members of the press and the general public to be vigilant and be wary of fake news and inaccurate reports characteristic of the ruling party and their agents.”
INEC’s official website on Wednesday, September 10, updated the party’s leadership details to reflect Mark as National Chairman; Aregbesola as National Secretary; Mani Ibrahim Ahmad as National Treasurer; Akibu Dalhatu as National Financial Secretary; and Oserhiemen Osunbor as National Legal Adviser.
Opposition forces, led by former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, and other prominent politicians, had on July 2, formally adopted ADC as their platform to challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 general elections.
At that event, Mark and Aregbesola were announced as interim chairman and secretary, thereby replacing Ralph Nwosu and Alhaji Sai’d Baba Abdullahi, respectively.
At its National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting on July 30, the party ratified the appointment of Mark, Aregbesola and Abdullahi.
It dissolved the existing National Working Committee (NWC) and inaugurated a caretaker committee, which includes Ahmad; former secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, as one of the Deputy National Chairmen; Tunde Ogbeha as National Vice Chairman (North-Central); Osunbor; Chinedu Idigbo as National Organising Secretary; Musa Elayo as National Vice Chairman (Diaspora) and Nkem Ukandu as National Welfare Secretary.
However, the party has since then faced resistance from within, with its 2023 presidential candidate, Dumebi Kachikwu, rejecting the takeover, while its only elected federal lawmaker, Leke Abejide, declined to recognise the new leadership and Gombe, its former governorship candidate in Gombe State, declaring himself as national chairman.