The legal battle over the leadership of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, involving Senator David Mark, Rauf Aregbesola and others will resume at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday, September 14.
The suit, filed against the National Executive Committee, NEC, of the party led by former Senate President David Mark, is before Justice Peter Lifu for determination.
The hearing is scheduled for 9am, following the end of the 2026 annual court vacation.
The development comes after the court imposed a total fine of N3 million on Mark, Aregbesola and the ADC over what the judge described as attempts to delay and frustrate proceedings through several motions.
Justice Lifu had imposed a fine of N1 million each on Mark, Aregbesola and the ADC, with the money ordered to be paid to former Deputy National Chairman of the party, Nafiu Bala Gombe, and two other plaintiffs.
Mark, Aregbesola, the ADC and others had filed 27 separate motions seeking to challenge and dismiss the case at the preliminary stage. The court rejected the applications, describing them as frivolous and baseless.
Several members of the ADC National Working Committee, NWC, also filed separate applications seeking to be joined as defendants in the suit.
Justice Lifu rejected the applications, ruling that the interests of the applicants would be addressed through the court’s decision on the claims against Mark and Aregbesola, who were sued alongside the NWC.
According to the latest hearing notice, parties are expected to adopt their respective briefs of argument on Monday, after which the court will fix a date for final judgment.
Gombe, a former National Deputy Chairman of the ADC, is asking the court to restrain Mark, Aregbesola and others from presenting themselves as leaders of the party.
The former deputy chairman instituted the suit against the ADC, Mark, Aregbesola, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and the former National Chairman of the party, Ralph Nwosu.
Gombe’s case is based on his claim that the emergence of Mark, Aregbesola and other national officers violated provisions of the ADC constitution and the Electoral Act governing the emergence of political party leaders through national conventions.
He alleged that the current leadership of the party took control of its affairs outside the procedure prescribed by the party’s constitution and relevant electoral laws.
