|By Adejumo Adekunle
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) faction led by David Mark has filed a suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja, asking the court to reverse the decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to derecognise its leadership.
In the motion, Mark urged Justice Emeka Nwite to grant a mandatory injunction setting aside INEC’s refusal to attend or monitor the party’s congresses and convention, pending the determination of the case.
He also sought an order compelling INEC to restore the names of all members of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) on its official records and portal.
INEC had, on April 1, removed the names of David Mark as National Chairman and Rauf Aregbesola as National Secretary from its website.
The application, dated April 7, was filed by Mark’s lawyer, Sulaiman Usman, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria.
The legal action follows a March 12 judgment of the Court of Appeal in a suit filed by Nafiu Bala Gombe. Mark’s legal team argued that the appellate court had directed parties to maintain the “status quo ante bellum,” which they interpret as the leadership structure that existed before the dispute.
Usman told the court that INEC misinterpreted the ruling and acted by removing the names of the party’s leadership, thereby creating uncertainty within the ADC.
He argued that the commission’s actions could undermine the subject matter of the case and affect the party’s operations, including its participation in political activities.
The motion seeks three key reliefs, including restoration of the disputed leadership, restraint against further interference by INEC, and recognition of the existing structure pending the outcome of the case.
In a separate application, Mark also requested accelerated hearing, asking the court to abridge timelines for filing processes and to hear the matter on a day-to-day basis until conclusion.
According to his lawyer, the case raises fundamental issues affecting the internal administration of a registered political party and has wider implications for democratic governance.
The dispute stems from an earlier ruling by the Federal High Court, where Justice Nwite declined to grant an ex-parte application filed by Gombe seeking to stop the Mark-led leadership. The Court of Appeal subsequently directed parties to return to the trial court and maintain the existing situation pending determination of the case.
The suit lists the ADC, Mark, Aregbesola, INEC, and former party chairman Ralph Nwosu as defendants.
