Three disgruntled members of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) have filed a lawsuit at the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking to nullify the appointment of the party’s new interim leadership headed by former Senate President David Mark.
The plaintiffs, Adeyemi Emmanuel, Ayodeji Victor Tolu, and Haruna Ismaila, are challenging the legality of the interim leadership structure, which includes Mark as Interim National Chairman, former Osun State governor Rauf Aregbesola as Interim National Secretary, and ex-Minister of Sports Bolaji Abdullahi as Interim National Publicity Secretary.
In the suit numbered FHC/ABJ/CS/1328, the ADC is listed as the first defendant, with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and the party’s immediate past National Chairman, Ralph Nwosu, as the second and third defendants respectively. Mark, Aregbesola, and Abdullahi are joined as the fourth, fifth, and sixth defendants.
The plaintiffs argue that the appointment of the interim officials violates the ADC’s constitution (2018, as amended), particularly with respect to how leadership positions should be filled and who qualifies to hold them.
Among the legal issues raised, they want the court to determine;
- Whether Mark, Aregbesola, and Abdullahi are qualified to hold the positions they were appointed to, based on ADC’s constitutional provisions.
- Whether the ADC constitution permits interim leadership positions in an existing party.
- Whether the party’s executive committee can be lawfully replaced without a national convention or NEC decision.
- Whether INEC can legally recognise the interim officials given the alleged procedural breaches.
- And whether the handover of leadership by Nwosu to the new leaders violates a subsisting court judgment (FHC/ABJ/1541/2022) delivered by Justice Binta Nyako on December 21, 2022.
The plaintiffs are seeking a declaration that the interim appointments are “unconstitutional, unlawful, null and void” and inconsistent with the party’s governing rules.
No hearing date has been fixed yet for the matter.
This legal action comes amid a major political development involving the ADC, which was recently adopted by a coalition led by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as a potential platform to challenge President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 general election.
The party, through its founding chairman Ralph Nwosu, had earlier announced the dissolution of its existing structure to pave the way for the new coalition-driven leadership. However, this move now faces legal headwinds from within the party ranks.
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