Court turns down request to halt David Mark, Aregbesola from assuming ADC Leadership

Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja has declined to grant an application seeking to stop David Mark-led leadership of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, pending the hearing of the substantive suit.

The Judge refused the three prayers sought in the ex-parte motion filed by Mr Nafiu-Bala Gombe, a former Deputy National Chairman of ADC, and moved by his lawyer, Michael Agber.

Instead, Justice Nwite ordered Gombe, the plaintiff in the suit, to put all the defendants on notice to show cause on why the request should not be granted.

The judge then adjourned the matter till September 15 for the defendants to show cause.

Although the ruling was delivered since September 4 and the certified true copy of the order was made public on Thursday.

While the former Senate President, David Mark, is the current national chairman of ADC, the former Osun Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, is the national secretary of the party.

Gombe, in the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025, had sued ADC, Senator Mark, Aregbesola, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Chief Ralph Nwosu as 1st to 5th defendants respectively.

In the ex-parte motion dated and filed on September. 2, the plaintiff sought three reliefs.

He sought an order of interim injunction restraining the 4th defendant (INEC) from recognising the 2nd (Mark) and 3rd (Aregbesola) defendants as the national chairman and national secretary of the ist defendant (ADC) pending the hearing of the motion on notice.

He also sought an order of interim injunction restraining the 2nd and 3rd defendants their cohorts from parading themselves as National Chairman and National Secretary of the 1st defendant, pending hearing in the motion on notice already filed and served in this matter.

Similarly, he applied for an order restraining the 4th defendants from recognising and or dealing with the 2nd and 3rd defendants.