Abuja: Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court has scheduled June 3 for the hearing of a suit filed by Nafiu-Bala Gombe, aimed at preventing Sen. David Mark and others from presenting themselves as leaders of the African Democratic Congress (ADC). This legal battle stems from internal party disputes regarding the leadership of the ADC.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, hearing notices have been issued and served to the legal representatives of all parties involved. One of the lawyers confirmed the hearing date to the agency. Previously, the case was under Justice Emeka Nwite of a different court, but it was reassigned to Justice Lifu after Justice Nwite’s elevation to the Court of Appeal.
The National Judicial Council (NJC), in its 111th meeting on May 13, recommended the appointment of 12 new justices to the Court of Appeal, including Justice Nwite. This recommendation was made to President Bola Tinubu for approval. In the suit, Gombe seeks a court order restraining Mark, the ADC’s National Chairman, Rauf Aregbesola, the National Secretary, and their interim National Working Committee (NWC) from claiming leadership positions within the party.
Gombe argues that the current leadership’s emergence violated both the party’s constitution and the Electoral Act. The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025, lists ADC, Mark, Aregbesola, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and Ralph Nwosu as defendants. Nwosu, the former ADC National Chairman, had stepped down for the Mark-led leadership.
Justice Nwite had previously adjourned the case indefinitely on April 14, awaiting the Supreme Court’s decision on an appeal filed by Mark. However, on April 30, the Supreme Court overturned the Court of Appeal’s order and instructed that the status quo be maintained, directing the parties to return to the Federal High Court for an expedited hearing.
In compliance with the Supreme Court’s judgment, INEC reversed the removal of Mark’s leadership from its official portal. During a May 8 hearing before Justice Nwite, Luka Haruna, SAN, representing Gombe, requested a transfer of the case to another judge. While no reason was provided, Haruna mentioned a letter to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court requesting the transfer.
Lawyers for the ADC, Mark, Aregbesola, and Nwosu opposed the transfer, arguing that they had not been served with Gombe’s letter and labeled Haruna’s application as an ambush. They perceived the move as an attempt to hinder the Court of Appeal’s order for an accelerated hearing, which the Supreme Court had upheld.
The defense team accused Gombe of “forum shopping” and maintained confidence in Justice Nwite’s impartiality and judicial discretion. They argued that Haruna’s application was a breach of procedure, amounting to illegality. The lawyers requested an indefinite adjournment until a certified true copy (CTC) of the Supreme Court judgment could be obtained. Consequently, Justice Nwite adjourned the case indefinitely.
Furthermore, the ADC’s political landscape saw former Vice President Atiku Abubakar emerge as the party’s presidential candidate on May 27, defeating two other contenders, including former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi. Dumebi Kachikwu also emerged as the presidential candidate for the 2027 general election in a separate national convention conducted by another ADC faction. On May 24, the 2023 presidential candidate was adopted by factional party members as the sole presidential candidate.