A Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed April 14 to hear a suit filed by a former deputy national chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Nafiu Bala, challenging the leadership of David Mark.
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Bala is seeking an order to stop the Mark-led leadership from presenting themselves as national officers of the party.
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The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025, lists the ADC, Mark, Rauf Aregbesola, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and Ralph Nwosu as defendants.
Bala argued that he never resigned as national vice-chairman and should have assumed leadership after Nwosu’s exit, in line with the party’s constitution. He is also asking the court to compel INEC to recognise him as acting national chairman and to restrain the commission from recognising the Mark-led executives.
The dispute dates back to September 2025, when Bala filed the suit and sought to halt party activities pending its determination. The presiding judge, Emeka Nwite, had directed all parties to respond to the application.
The development reflects broader trends in APC political updates across Nigeria.
Mark later challenged the court’s jurisdiction, but the court of appeal, on March 12, 2026, dismissed his appeal and ordered all parties to maintain the status quo ante bellum.
Following the ruling, INEC announced it would no longer recognise either faction of the party pending the resolution of the case.
In response, the Mark-led faction filed a motion asking the court to compel INEC to restore their names as members of the party’s national working committee and sought accelerated hearing of the case.
Mark has also filed a preliminary objection, arguing that Bala lacks the legal standing to institute the suit and that the matter concerns internal party affairs.
Similarly, Aregbesola and Nwosu urged the court to dismiss the case, insisting Bala had resigned his position and failed to exhaust the party’s internal dispute resolution mechanisms before approaching the court.
