BREAKING: Court Postpones Judgement Seeking Removal of Mark, Aregbesola as ADC Leaders
The Federal High Court in Abuja has moved the highly anticipated judgment regarding the leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) to April 14.
The case specifically seeks to stop Senator David Mark and Rauf Aregbesola from acting as the National Chairman and National Secretary of the party.
While the verdict was originally expected on Monday, Justice Musa Suleiman Liman deferred the decision by 24 hours. This delay was attributed to other urgent official commitments handled by the court.
Politicians and party supporters arrived at the court premises as early as 8:00 am on Monday, hoping to witness the final ruling.
The atmosphere was thick with tension as loyalists from both the plaintiff’s camp and the current leadership filled the courtroom.
However, a court registrar eventually announced the adjournment, leading to a quiet exit by the various political figures who had gathered for the day’s proceedings.
The legal battle was initiated by Hon. Leke Abejide, a lawmaker representing Yagba Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives. Through his legal team led by Ibrahim Idris, SAN, Abejide is challenging the legitimacy of the current party hierarchy.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1637/2025, names the ADC, Ralph Nwosu, David Mark, Rauf Aregbesola, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as defendants.
Abejide’s primary grievance centers on the transition of power that occurred last year at the Shehu Musa Yar’adua Centre in Abuja.
He is asking the court to nullify the transfer of leadership from Ralph Nwosu to David Mark and Rauf Aregbesola, labeling the process as “illegal, unlawful, null and void.”
Furthermore, the lawmaker is seeking a perpetual injunction to prevent the duo from “parading themselves as leaders of the party” and to stop INEC from recognizing them as valid officials.
On the other side of the divide, the defense counsel, including Shaibu Aruwa, SAN, and Realwan Okpanachi, have urged the court to throw out the case. They argue that the matter is strictly an internal affair of the ADC and therefore falls outside the court’s jurisdiction.
They also clarified that the current leadership was properly elected during a National Executive Committee meeting on July 29, 2025, disputing the timeline provided by the plaintiff.
The defense maintains that Abejide has not shown sufficient legal standing to bring the suit forward. They described the litigation as an academic exercise and requested the court to dismiss it with substantial costs.
With both sides having adopted their final written addresses last Friday, the political fate of the ADC now hangs on the court’s decision scheduled for Tuesday.
