ADC Crisis: Mark-Led Faction Sues INEC Over Party Leadership Removal

ADC Crisis: Mark-Led Faction Sues INEC Over Party Leadership Removal

A major leadership crisis has erupted within the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as a faction led by former Senate President, David Mark, has sued the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over the removal of key party leaders from its official records.

The suit, filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja and marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025, is challenging INEC’s decision to delete the names of Mark as National Chairman and Rauf Aregbesola as National Secretary from its portal on April 1, 2026.

Through his lawyer, Sulaiman Usman (SAN), the Mark-led faction is seeking a mandatory injunction compelling INEC to restore the ADC leadership as it existed before the dispute. The plaintiffs argue that the commission’s action is unlawful and has deepened the ongoing ADC leadership crisis.

The court filings further seek an order setting aside INEC’s decision and directing the electoral body to reinstate the entire National Working Committee (NWC), including members of the National Executive Committee. The faction is also asking the court to restrain INEC from recognising any rival leadership pending the final determination of the case.

According to the applicants, INEC’s action contradicts an earlier ruling by the Court of Appeal delivered on March 12, which directed all parties to maintain the status quo ante bellum—meaning the leadership structure should remain unchanged until the dispute is resolved.

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Counsel to the faction argued that as of September 2025, when the initial suit was instituted, Mark was the duly recognised National Chairman of the ADC, with a validly constituted leadership structure already in place. He added that the plaintiff in the originating suit, Nafiu Gombe, had resigned his previous position and had no subsisting role within the party.

The lawyer maintained that INEC’s removal of the leadership names amounts to non-recognition of a valid party structure, creating confusion and a vacuum within the party. He warned that the development could destabilise the ADC and weaken its internal operations if not urgently addressed.

In addition to seeking restoration of the leadership, the Mark-led faction has filed a separate application for an accelerated hearing, urging the court to fast-track the case due to its urgency and potential impact on Nigeria’s political landscape.

The motion is requesting shortened timelines for filing processes and day-to-day hearings until the matter is concluded. According to the legal team, the prolonged dispute could lead to the emergence of parallel leadership factions, further complicating the party’s structure.

The origins of the crisis date back to September 2025 when the Federal High Court declined an ex parte application by Gombe to halt the activities of the Mark-led leadership. The matter later moved to the Court of Appeal, which directed all parties to return to the lower court and maintain the existing structure pending final resolution.

In the substantive suit, Gombe listed the ADC, Mark, Aregbesola, INEC, and Ralph Nwosu as defendants. Nwosu had earlier stepped down, paving the way for Mark’s emergence as national chairman.

The ongoing ADC vs INEC court case is expected to test the boundaries of INEC’s authority in internal party disputes and could have far-reaching implications for party leadership recognition in Nigeria.

ADC Crisis: Mark-Led Faction Sues INEC Over Party Leadership Removal