The crisis rocking the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has deepened following a ruling by the Federal High Court in Abuja, which restrained the party’s leadership under David Mark from conducting or recognizing state congresses.
Delivering judgment on Wednesday, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik held that only the party’s state executive committees are constitutionally empowered to organize state congresses, not the national leadership.
The court further affirmed that the four-year tenure of the ADC’s State Working Committees and State Executive Committees remains valid and subsisting until properly conducted congresses are held and a national convention is convened.
Justice Abdulmalik also ruled that neither the Nigerian Constitution nor the ADC’s constitution grants the caretaker or interim National Working Committee, led by Mark, the authority to appoint committees to oversee state congresses.
The judgment followed a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/581/2026, filed by Don Norman Obinna, Johnny Tovie Derek, Obah C. Ehigiator, Olona Yinka, Charles Idowu Omideji, Samuel Pam Gyang, and Obianyo Patrick. The plaintiffs instituted the case on behalf of themselves and all ADC state chairmen and executive committees.
