David Mark-led ADC seeks court order to reverse INEC’s removal of leadership names

The leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), led by Senator David Mark, has approached the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking an order to reverse the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) decision to remove the names of its officials from the electoral body’s records.

On 1 April 2025, INEC removed the names of David Mark, National Chairman, and Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, National Secretary, from the commission’s portal and website.

This action followed a legal dispute regarding the party’s leadership, with the ADC now urging the court to restore the names to its records.

Mark’s legal team, led by Sulaiman Usman, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), filed a motion on 7 April 2025, requesting the Federal High Court to issue an order not only reinstating the names of Mark, Aregbesola and other members of the National Working Committee (NWC), but also preventing INEC from interfering with the party’s leadership structure.

Read Also: US raises alarm on Nigeria, flags 23 states high risk

The ADC also requested that the court order INEC to restore its recognition of the current leadership as of the date the suit was filed, pending the resolution of the case.

The motion follows a Court of Appeal ruling on 12 March 2025, which directed the parties to maintain the “status quo ante bellum”, the last uncontested and lawful state of affairs.

Mark’s legal team argues that INEC’s action in removing the leadership names, based on a misinterpretation of the appellate court’s directive, has created a vacuum in the ADC’s leadership and threatens the party’s stability.

In his application, Usman argued that failure to immediately restore the names would undermine the party’s legal framework and could lead to competing claims of leadership, further destabilising the party.

He emphasised that such a situation was inconsistent with the Court of Appeal’s ruling, which ordered the preservation of the last uncontested leadership status.

Mark’s legal team also filed an additional motion, dated 2 April but filed on 7 April, requesting an expedited hearing of the case.

The lawyers argued that the dispute has serious implications for the party’s ability to participate effectively in the political process, with uncertainty over its leadership affecting the ADC’s internal administration and political activities.

“The continued uncertainty surrounding the leadership structure is harmful to the party’s operations and could encourage parallel structures,” Usman said, urging the court to act swiftly to preserve the party’s governance.

In a related development, the Federal High Court had, on 4 September 2025, declined to grant an injunction to stop the Mark-led leadership from functioning, pending the resolution of the substantive suit.

The court directed the plaintiff, Nafiu Bala Gombe, former Deputy National Chairman of the ADC, to notify all parties involved in the case and adjourned the matter for further hearing on 15 September 2025.

Gombe, who had sued Mark, Aregbesola, INEC and Chief Ralph Nwosu (former ADC National Chairman), sought the court’s intervention to annul the current leadership.

However, following the September ruling, Mark’s leadership approached the Court of Appeal to challenge the lower court’s jurisdiction over the case.

The appellate court upheld the “status quo ante bellum” order, instructing that the matter return to the trial court for further hearing.

This legal contest, marked by competing leadership claims and ongoing litigation, will determine the ADC’s leadership structure in the coming months, with implications for the party’s role in the 2025 general elections.

The final court decision will likely affect the party’s governance and its participation in national politics.