The Federal High Court in Abuja has adjourned until September 28 a suit seeking to stop the David Mark-led leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) from parading themselves as leaders of the party.
The suit, filed by an aggrieved ADC member, Nafiu-Bala Gombe, was scheduled for hearing of all pending applications before Justice Peter Lifu on Monday.
However, proceedings could not commence as the judge did not sit, prompting the court to adjourn the matter until September 28.
The case, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025, had earlier been fixed for hearing of the pending applications after Justice Lifu dismissed separate applications filed by the ADC and its National Secretary, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, seeking his recusal from the matter.
In a ruling delivered on June 16, the judge held that the applications lacked merit and awarded N1 million costs against both the ADC and Aregbesola in favour of Gombe.
The party and Aregbesola had sought the judge’s withdrawal from the case over allegations of bias.
In the substantive suit, Gombe is asking the court to restrain Mark, Aregbesola and members of the party’s interim National Working Committee from presenting themselves as leaders of the ADC.
He argues that the emergence of Mark, Aregbesola and other members of the interim NWC contravened provisions of the ADC constitution and the Electoral Act.
Gombe joined the African Democratic Congress, David Mark, Rauf Aregbesola, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and the former National Chairman of the party, Ralph Nwosu, as the first to fifth defendants respectively.
The case is now expected to come up for hearing on September 28.
