Abuja, Nigeria. The Federal High Court located in Abuja, the capital city of Nigeria, has scheduled Tuesday, April 14, 2026, to hear a lawsuit regarding the leadership crisis within the African Democratic Congress (ADC). The legal action, filed by Nafiu-Bala Gombe, seeks to prevent Senator David Mark and his team from acting as the official leaders of the political party.
The presiding judge, Justice Emeka Nwite, established the new hearing date after sending official notices to all involved parties. Gombe filed the lawsuit against the African Democratic Congress, David Mark, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and Chief Ralph Nwosu.
Previously, Justice Nwite had paused the case indefinitely while waiting for a ruling from the Court of Appeal. The appellate court delivered its judgment on Thursday, March 12, 2026. The higher court ordered all parties to return to the trial court and maintain their previous positions until the main lawsuit is fully resolved.
Following this appellate ruling, the Independent National Electoral Commission removed the names of David Mark and Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola from its official portal on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. They were previously listed as the national chairman and national secretary of the party. As Okay News reports, Mark and Aregbesola responded on Tuesday, April 7, 2026, by filing a legal motion requesting the court to force the electoral commission to restore their names and asking for a faster hearing.
Both Mark and Aregbesola have asked the court to dismiss the lawsuit entirely, arguing that the court does not have the legal authority to decide internal party matters. Mark’s lawyer, Sulaiman Usman, stated that Gombe has no legal right to file the case because he voluntarily resigned from his position as the deputy national chairman of the party.
“This honourable court lacks jurisdiction to entertain this suit. The suit constitutes a gross abuse of court process,” Mark argued through his legal team.
Aregbesola supported this position in a written statement submitted by his legal representatives. He noted that the party had already informed the electoral commission about Gombe’s resignation. Aregbesola requested that the court dismiss the case and award him ₦50 million (about $33,000) as compensation for the inconvenience of defending himself.
Additionally, the former national chairman of the party, Chief Ralph Nwosu, filed an objection through his lawyer. He argued that the lawsuit was filed too early because Gombe did not use the internal conflict resolution systems of the party before taking the matter to a federal court.
