A Federal High Court in Abuja has issued an interim order restraining the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognizing former Senate President, David Mark, and ex-Osun State governor, Rauf Aregbesola, as the interim National Chairman and National Secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
The ruling, delivered by Justice Emeka Nwite, follows a motion ex parte filed on September 2, 2025, by Nafiu Gombe, a key figure in the party’s ongoing leadership crisis. The court has ordered that INEC must not acknowledge the pair or their representatives pending the determination of a motion on notice filed in the matter.
This judicial action effectively suspends a previous move by INEC to update its website to reflect Mark and Aregbesola as the party’s new leaders. The previous recognition had been publicly confirmed by the ADC’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, on his X account.
The legal action stems from an internal power struggle within the ADC, which intensified after former party chairman Ralph Nwosu’s resignation in favor of the new leadership. However, a faction of the party, including Gombe, has challenged the transition, accusing former leaders of handing over the party to “powerful outsiders.â€
With the court’s order, the status of Mark and Aregbesola remains in legal limbo until the substantive application is heard and a final decision is made.
