The Federal High Court in Abuja has postponed its judgment in a suit seeking to stop Senator David Mark and Rauf Aregbesola from acting as national chairman and secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), shifting the date to April 14.
The ruling, initially scheduled for Monday, was delayed by Justice Musa Suleiman Liman due to other official commitments. A court registrar informed journalists and political stakeholders—who had gathered as early as 8 a.m.—of the development.
Following the announcement, many attendees, including supporters of both the plaintiff and the Mark-led faction of the party, gradually left the courtroom.
The case was filed by Kogi lawmaker Hon. Leke Abejide, who is challenging the legitimacy of the ADC leadership. The judge had earlier fixed April 13 for judgment after counsel to all parties adopted their written arguments.
In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1637/2025, filed on February 15, 2026, Abejide named the ADC, former National Chairman Ralph Nwosu, David Mark, Rauf Aregbesola, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as defendants.
Abejide is asking the court to nullify the alleged transfer of party leadership from Nwosu to Mark and Aregbesola, describing it as unlawful. He is also seeking an order to restrain both men from presenting themselves as party leaders and to stop INEC from recognizing them in those roles.
However, the defendants have urged the court to dismiss the case, arguing that Abejide lacks the legal standing to file the suit. They maintain that the matter concerns the internal affairs of a political party, which they say is beyond the court’s jurisdiction.
The defense further contended that the current leadership emerged from a National Executive Committee meeting held on July 29, 2025—not July 2, as claimed by the plaintiff—and described the case as baseless and academic.
