ADC Leadership Suits:
Lawyer Says INEC, Party On Same Page As Supreme Court, High Court Fix Hearings For Tuesday
…….Threatens mass action over INEC Chair
A legal representative of the ADC, Barr Realwan Okpanachi, has disclosed that the INEC has officially recognized the emergence of Senator David Mark and Rauf Aregbesola as the party’s National Chairman and National Secretary, respectively.
Speaking after a court proceeding at the weekend, the lawyer explained that INEC’s confirmation strengthens the ADC’s position regarding a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting held on July 29, 2025. He maintained that the meeting legitimately produced the current leadership of the party
This is even as the Supreme Court and a Federal High Court in Abuja have both set Tuesday, April 14, 2026, for hearing in a suit challenging the leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
In the suit filed by Nafiu-Bala Gombe, a former Deputy National Chairman of the party, is seeking a declaration of the court to stop Senator David Mark and Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola from parading themselves as the party’s National Chairman and National Secretary, respectively.
The hearing followed a recent Court of Appeal ruling that ordered all parties to return to the trial court.
But, David Mark, national chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), filed an appeal at the Supreme Court against the ruling of the High Court, where it ruled that all parties should maintain status quo ante bellum a suit filed by Nafiu Bala, a former deputy national chair, challenging his leadership.
In the appeal marked SC/CV/180/2026, Mark is asking the court to grant an order staying the execution of the court of appeal’s ruling delivered on March 12.
According to NAN, the hearing notice was sent to the parties in the case on Friday through the litigation department of the supreme court
While both cases are scheduled for Tuesday, the lower court may step down the matter or adjourn proceedings pending the hearing at the apex court, in deference to the hierarchy of courts.
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In the appeal filed by Realwan Okpanachi, his lawyer, Mark prayed the court for an order staying execution of the appellate court’s judgement pending the hearing and determination of his appeal.
Okpanachi further clarified that INEC not only acknowledged the meeting but also had its officials physically present. According to him, the electoral body documented the proceedings and submitted an official report, which has now been presented as evidence before the court.
He emphasized that this report clearly validates both the occurrence of the meeting and the emergence of the party’s leaders from it.
Addressing the opposing claims, the lawyer dismissed the plaintiff’s arguments as unsubstantiated and lacking credible evidence. He argued that the case was built largely on assumptions rather than verifiable facts.
The plaintiff had alleged that the party’s leadership emerged on July 22, 2025; however, the lawyer insisted that no documentation exists to support that claim. In contrast, he stated that the ADC has provided concrete records to justify its position.
He also revealed that the party formally notified INEC on July 4, 2025, about its intention to hold the NEC meeting. The meeting was subsequently conducted on July 29, with INEC officials in attendance, further reinforcing the party’s timeline and claims.
Additionally, the lawyer questioned the legal standing of the plaintiff, arguing that the individual is merely a party member and not an official, thereby lacking the authority to initiate such a case.
“They also confirmed in their report that they attended the NEC meeting and that the meeting produced Senator David Mark and Aregbesola as National Chairman and National Secretary. So INEC is now on the same page with us as far as this matter is concerned,” the lawyer stated.
However, in a move that sparked outrage within legal and political circles, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in its own interpretation of the ruling, decided to delete Senator David Mark and Rauf Aregbesola’s names from its official portal on April 1.
Dissatisfied with this action, the Mark-led leadership has since filed a motion demanding that INEC restore their names immediately, arguing that the commission acted prematurely.
Senator David Mark and Rauf Aregbesola have both urged Justice Emeka Nwite to dismiss the case. In his preliminary objection, Mark argued that Gombe lacks the locus standi to sue because he voluntarily resigned as the party’s Deputy National Chairman.
Aregbesola echoed this, stating that Gombe’s resignation was officially communicated to INEC to allow for party restructuring. He has further asked the court for ₦50 million in damages for being “discommoded” by the lawsuit.
The defendants maintain that the crisis is an internal party affair which the court has no jurisdiction to settle.
Also, the original founder, Ralph Nwosu, joined the call for dismissal, claiming Gombe failed to use the party’s internal dispute resolution mechanisms before heading to court.
As the April 14 date approaches, the political future of the ADC remains hanging in the balance, with both factions claiming legitimacy.
Meanwhile, the opposition party has threatened to embark on mass civil action if Prof Joash Amupitan fails to step down as Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The threat was coming on the heels of fresh allegations against him, following the publication of old tweets showing his supposed bias towards the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), a US based Nigerian media scholar, Prof Farouk Kperogi.
But, Adedayo Oketola, Chief Press Secretary and Media Adviser to the INEC Chairman, disowned the tweets, attributing them to activities of impersonators and cybercriminals using fake identities to spread misinformation.
Amupitan, also immediately deleted the tweets from his X account and changed the channel’s address, which attracted diverse reactions across social media platforms.
Kperogi, who shared excerpts of the column on his X handle, argued that the alleged posts undermine public confidence in the neutrality of the electoral umpire and called on the INEC chairman to resign.
The ADC through its National Publicity Secretary, Malam Bolaji Abdullahi, reacted to the development by calling for the resignation of Amupitan, saying that failure to do so will leave the party with no option, but to commence mass civil action.
In a statement issued at the weekend, Abdullahi stated that; “The recent revelation linking a pro-Bola Ahmed Tinubu tweet of 2023 to the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Professor Amupitan, is not merely disturbing, it is a grave affront to the integrity of our electoral system.
“In a democracy, the umpire must be above suspicion. He must not only be independent, he must be seen, beyond any reasonable doubt, to be independent. That is the minimum standard required of anyone entrusted with the sacred duty of conducting free and fair elections.
“However, more troubling is the desperate attempt to tamper with digital records, to erase evidence of his previous partisanship. This is not a trivial matter. It is a calculated assault on truth and accountability.
“A man who manipulates records to save himself cannot be trusted to safeguard the mandate of millions. Over the past few days, it has been repeatedly revealed that Professor Amupitan, by his conduct, his utterances, and now by incontrovertible digital evidence, has fallen far below the standard expected of an electoral umpire. The referee cannot be running around in the shirt of one of the teams he’s supposed to officiate in a match.”
“This is why Professor Amupitan must resign. Now. Anything less is an insult to the Nigerian people and a dangerous precedent for our democracy. Relying on this evidence, ADC will be updating our petitions to all relevant institutions, including to foreign governments and the Nigeria Bar Association, NBA.
“We will also renew and escalate our civil disobedience action until the INEC Chairman leaves office.”
