The Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission from recognising state congresses conducted by committees set up by a factional leadership of the African Democratic Congress led by former Senate President, David Mark.
In a ruling delivered by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, the court held that the authority to conduct state congresses resides exclusively with the party’s State Executive Committees, not any interim or caretaker national leadership.
The judge affirmed that the tenure of the ADC’s State Working Committees and State Executive Committees, fixed at four years, remains valid and subsisting until duly conducted congresses are held and a national convention convened in line with the party’s constitution.
Justice Abdulmalik further ruled that neither the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 nor the ADC constitution empowers the interim National Working Committee under Mark to appoint committees to organise state congresses.
The court consequently barred INEC from recognising any congresses conducted by such committees, describing the actions as inconsistent with the party’s constitutional provisions.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/581/2026, was filed by Don Norman Obinna, Johnny Tovie Derek, Obah C. Ehigiator, Hon. Olona Yinka, Dr. Charles Idowu Omideji, Samuel Pam Gyang and Obianyo Patrick.
The plaintiffs, who instituted the case on behalf of themselves and other state chairmen and executive members of the party, had challenged the legality of the caretaker leadership’s actions regarding the conduct of state congresses.
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