Fresh drama in ADC as Court adjourns David Mark leadership battle indefinitely

The leadership crisis rocking the African Democratic Congress (ADC) took a fresh twist on Friday after the Federal High Court in Abuja adjourned indefinitely the suit challenging the emergence of former Senate President David Mark as a key figure in the party’s leadership structure.

The legal dispute, which has intensified internal tensions within the ADC ahead of the 2027 elections, was stalled following allegations of “judge shopping” and procedural disputes among parties involved in the matter.

The controversy stems from a request by ADC chieftain, Nafiu Bala Gombe, seeking the reassignment of the case to another judge.

Counsel to the plaintiff, Luka Musa Haruna, informed Justice Emeka Nwite that a formal application had been submitted to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court on May 4, 2026, requesting the transfer of the case.

The development came shortly after the Supreme Court delivered a judgment on April 30 dismissing an interlocutory appeal filed by David Mark and vacating an earlier stay of proceedings, thereby paving the way for the substantive suit to proceed.

Haruna told the court that the apex court had dismissed the appeal for lacking merit and urged Justice Nwite to suspend further proceedings pending the decision of the Chief Judge on the transfer request.

However, the request triggered strong opposition from the defence team, which accused the plaintiff of attempting to frustrate the hearing of the case through procedural tactics.

Counsel to the first defendant, Realwan Okpanachi, argued that the defendants were unaware of the transfer request and described the move as an ambush designed to delay the accelerated hearing earlier directed by superior courts.

Similarly, counsel to David Mark, Sulaiman Usman, accused the plaintiff of engaging in “forum shopping,” a legal term used to describe attempts to seek a more favourable court or judge.

Another defence lawyer, P.I. Oyewole, warned that allowing private correspondence to influence court proceedings could encourage what he described as “judicial rascality.”

In his ruling, Justice Nwite held that taking any decision on the transfer request without hearing from all parties would amount to a breach of the defendants’ right to fair hearing.

The judge further explained that since the request was directed to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, the trial court lacked jurisdiction to determine its merit.

Consequently, the court adjourned the matter indefinitely to allow parties file the Certified True Copy of the Supreme Court judgment, ensure proper service of the transfer request on all defendants and await directives from the Chief Judge.

The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025, remains a major legal challenge confronting the ADC as preparations for the 2027 general elections gather momentum.

Gombe is seeking an order of court removing David Mark, former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola and other allies from leadership positions in the party, alleging that their emergence violated both the ADC constitution and provisions of the Electoral Act.

The prolonged legal battle has continued to deepen divisions within the party, with some members reportedly resigning over the lingering crisis.