The Federal High Court in Abuja has adjourned until September 28 a suit filed by Nafiu Bala challenging the leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) led by David Mark.
Gatekeepers News reports that Bala is seeking an order restraining Mark and other members of the party’s interim leadership from parading themselves as national officers of the ADC.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025, was scheduled for the hearing of all pending applications on Monday but could not proceed because Peter Lifu, the presiding judge, was not sitting.
The matter was consequently adjourned to September 28.
Lifu had on June 16 fixed the case for hearing after dismissing separate applications by the ADC and Rauf Aregbesola, the party’s national secretary, seeking his recusal from the proceedings.
The judge held that the applications lacked merit and awarded N1 million in costs against the ADC and Aregbesola in favour of Bala.
The defendants had asked the judge to withdraw from the case over allegations of bias.
In the substantive suit, Bala is challenging the emergence of Mark as national chairman, Aregbesola as national secretary and other members of the party’s interim national working committee (NWC).
He is asking the court to restrain them from presenting themselves as leaders of the party, arguing that their emergence contravened the ADC constitution and relevant provisions of the Electoral Act.
The suit names the ADC, Mark, Aregbesola, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and Ralph Nwosu as the first to fifth defendants respectively.
Nwosu, a former national chairman of the ADC, stepped down from the position to pave the way for the Mark-led interim leadership.
