By Opeyemi Adelakun
The Federal High Court in Abuja has adjourned until September 28 a suit seeking to challenge the legitimacy of the David Mark-led leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
The case, filed by an aggrieved party member, Nafiu-Bala Gombe, was scheduled for hearing of all pending applications on Monday, but proceedings could not take place because the presiding judge, Justice Peter Lifu, did not sit.
The matter was consequently adjourned to September 28.
Gombe is seeking an order restraining Mark, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and members of the party’s interim National Working Committee (NWC) from presenting themselves as leaders of the ADC.
He contends that the emergence of Mark, Aregbesola and other members of the interim NWC violated provisions of the party’s constitution and the Electoral Act.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025, names the ADC, Mark, Aregbesola, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Ralph Nwosu as the first to fifth defendants respectively.
The latest adjournment followed an earlier ruling by Justice Lifu on June 16, when he dismissed applications filed by the ADC and Aregbesola seeking his recusal from the case.
The defendants had separately asked the judge to withdraw from the matter, alleging bias.
Justice Lifu ruled that the applications lacked merit and awarded N1 million costs against both the ADC and Aregbesola in favour of Gombe.
The judge had subsequently fixed Monday for the hearing of the pending applications before the matter was moved to September 28.
Nwosu, a former National Chairman of the ADC, had stepped down from the position before the emergence of the Mark-led leadership.
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