Court Shifts Judgment In Suit Challenging Mark, Aregbesola’s ADC leadership

The Federal High Court in Abuja has adjourned judgment in a suit seeking to restrain former Senate President, David Mark and former governor of Osun State, Rauf Aregbesola, from parading themselves as National Chairman and Secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

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Naija News reports that the case was filed by a member of the House of Representatives from Kogi State, Leke Abejide.

The judgment, initially scheduled for Monday, was postponed by Justice Musa Suleiman Liman to April 14 due to official engagements.

A registrar of the court announced the adjournment to journalists and political stakeholders who had gathered at the court premises early in anticipation of the ruling.

Many politicians from both the Abejide camp and the Mark-led faction subsequently left the courtroom after learning of the development.

The judge had earlier fixed April 13 for the ruling after lawyers for the parties adopted their final processes and presented arguments for and against the suit.

Abejide instituted the suit through his counsel, Ibrahim Idris (SAN), challenging the transfer of the ADC leadership to Mark and Aregbesola.

In the originating summons marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1637/2025, filed on February 15, 2026, the lawmaker listed the ADC, former National Chairman Ralph Nwosu, Mark, Aregbesola and the Independent National Electoral Commission as first to fifth defendants.

Among the reliefs sought, Abejide asked the court to nullify the alleged handover of the party’s leadership by Nwosu to Mark and Aregbesola on July 2, 2025, at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja.

He argued that the transfer was “illegal, unlawful, null and void.”

The lawmaker also asked the court to issue a perpetual injunction restraining Mark and Aregbesola from parading themselves as the party’s leaders.

He further sought an order restraining INEC from recognising them as interim national chairman and secretary, arguing that their emergence did not comply with the provisions of the Electoral Act.

Defendants Seek Dismissal

However, lawyers representing the defendants urged the court to dismiss the suit.

ADC was represented by Shaibu Aruwa (SAN), while P.I. Oyewole appeared for Nwosu. Rilwan Okpanachi represented Mark, I.R. Abdullahi appeared for Aregbesola, while Anthony Onyeri represented INEC.

The defence teams argued that Abejide lacked the legal standing to institute the suit.

They also contended that the matter concerned the internal affairs of a political party, which they described as non-justiciable.

The defendants further maintained that Mark’s leadership emerged from a National Executive Committee meeting held on July 29, 2025, not from the July 2 event cited by the plaintiff.

They therefore urged the court to dismiss the suit with substantial costs, describing the case as academic.