Court affirms David Mark-led ADC leadership

A Federal High Court in Abuja has affirmed the leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) under former Senate President David Mark, dismissing a lawsuit that sought to challenge the party's new leadership. The court found that the emergence of Mark and National Secretary Rauf Aregbesola complied with the ADC's constitution and electoral laws.

Justice Musa Liman ruled that the court lacked jurisdiction to hear the case, as it concerned the internal affairs of a political party, making it non-justiciable. He also determined that the plaintiff, House of Representatives member Leke Abejide, lacked the legal standing to bring the suit, as he failed to demonstrate how his rights were infringed and did not exhaust the party's internal dispute resolution processes.

The court specifically addressed the handover of leadership from former National Chairperson Ralph Nwosu to Mark, stating it did not contravene the ADC's constitution. It also validated the process by which Mark and Aregbesola emerged as leaders during a National Executive Committee meeting monitored by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Consequently, the court awarded N2 million in costs against Abejide to each of the defendants and an additional N10 million against Abejide's lawyer, citing provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022.