The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has approached a Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking an order compelling the Independent National Electoral Commission to restore the names of Senator David Mark and Rauf Aregbesola as the party’s National Chairman and National Secretary, respectively.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025, followed the removal of their names, alongside those of other members of the party’s National Working Committee, from INEC’s official portal on April 1.
In a motion on notice dated April 7 and filed by counsel for Mark, Sulaiman Usman (SAN), the plaintiff asked the court to issue a mandatory injunction directing INEC to reinstate the affected officials as they existed before the dispute.
The application, brought pursuant to Order 26 Rules 1 to 4 of the Federal High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules, 2019, as well as under the court’s inherent jurisdiction, is seeking three major reliefs.
Part of the relief reads, “An order of mandatory injunction, setting aside the decision, act, or directive of the respondent removing the names of the applicant’s National Working Committee from its official portal and the decision of refusal to attend or monitor the applicant’s congresses or convention pending the hearing and determination of the suit.”
The party also asked for “an order of mandatory injunction directing INEC to forthwith restore and maintain records of the names of Senator David Mark as National Chairman and Rauf Aregbesola as National Secretary, as well as all members of the National Executive Committee.”
In addition, the plaintiff prayed the court for “an order restraining INEC from tampering with, or otherwise interfering with, the said leadership records, or recognising any contrary or competing claims, pending the final determination of the suit.”
The suit stemmed from the March 12 judgment of the Court of Appeal in a leadership tussle initiated by a former Deputy National Chairman of the party, Nafiu Gombe, before Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court.
In a supporting affidavit, Usman argued that the appellate court had directed all parties to maintain the status quo ante bellum, which he described as the last uncontested state of affairs before the dispute.
The court action is the latest development in the leadership crisis rocking the ADC, with rival factions laying claim to the party’s structure and recognition.
The legal move is expected to determine whether INEC can be compelled to restore the names of Mark, Aregbesola and other affected officials on its portal pending the determination of the substantive suit.
