ADC Leadship: Battle to remove Mark, Aregbesola continues Monday

By Clifford Ndujihe, Ikechukwu Nnochiri & Luminous Jannamike

Despite its designation by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, the conflict to oust Senator David Mark, Engr. Rauf Aregbesola and different nationalist leaders of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, is inactive raging and volition proceed successful tribunal connected Monday.

A Federal High Court sitting successful Abuja has ordered the Senator Mark-led interim enactment of the enactment to look earlier it connected September 15, to amusement origin wherefore the INEC should not beryllium barred from recognising it.

While the party’s 2023 statesmanlike candidate, Mr. Dumebi Kachikwu, hailed the tribunal bid asking the mark-led squad to look connected Monday, the ADC picked holes successful reports that the tribunal had ordered the removal of the erstwhile Senate President arsenic its leader.

The INEC had connected Wednesday recognised Mark and Aregbesola and others arsenic leaders of the enactment aft weeks of hold due to the fact that it did not person specimen of their signatures.

In June, Mark was appointed interim president and Aregbesola interim nationalist caput aft the exit of founding Chairman, Chief Ralph Okey Nwosu arsenic portion of a wider realignment wrong the ADC aimed astatine forming a beardown conjugation to situation the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, and President Bola Tinubu successful 2027. The conjugation has the enactment of absorption leaders, including erstwhile Vice President Atiku Abubakar, and Labour Party’s Peter Obi. Others see erstwhile Rivers State politician and Transportation Minister, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, erstwhile Kaduna State governor, Malam Nasir el-Rufai; and erstwhile Sokoto State governor, Senator Aminu Tambuwal and different influential politicians.

The enactment modulation faced beardown absorption from immoderate enactment figures. Former ADC statesmanlike candidate, Dumebi Kachikwu, described the alteration arsenic amerciable and divisive, informing that it undermined the party’s antiauthoritarian values.

Similarly, Nafiu Bala, a erstwhile governorship campaigner successful Gombe State, declared himself interim president and accused the caller enactment of attempting to hijack the party’s structures. The quality yet moved to the courts, with 3 aggrieved members filing a suit astatine the Federal High Court successful Abuja seeking to nullify Mark’s assignment connected procedural grounds.

Court orders Mark-led enactment to amusement origin Sept 15

The Federal High Court sitting successful Abuja successful a ruling delivered by Justice Emeka Nwite, ordered the Mark-led enactment to look earlier it connected September 15, aft it refused an ex-parte exertion by a erstwhile Deputy National Chairman of the party, Nafiu Gombe.

The plaintiff, who is laying assertion to the chairmanship spot of the party, had successful the ex-parte application, prayed the tribunal to restrain the Senator Mark-led faction from further parading themselves arsenic leaders of the party. In the question that was dated September 2, the plaintiff specifically prayed the tribunal for: “An bid of interim injunction restraining the 4th suspect from recognising the 2nd and 3rd defendants arsenic the National Chairman and National Secretary, their agents and privies of the 1st defendant/respondent herein, pending the proceeding of the question connected announcement hereby filed successful this matter.”

Defendants successful the suit, are ADC; Senator Mark (Chairman); erstwhile politician of Osun State; Ogbeni Aregbesola; INEC; arsenic good arsenic the contiguous past National Chairman of the party, Chief Nwosu.

However, successful the ruling helium delivered connected September 4, a transcript Vanguard sighted, Justice Nwite, alternatively of granting the ex-parte application, ordered the plaintiff to spell and enactment the defendants connected announcement by serving the ineligible processes connected them.

The court, held: “It is hereby ordered arsenic follows: “That the plaintiff/applicant’s exertion dated and filed 2/9/2025, is refused. Value Added Tax

“That an bid of this tribunal is hereby made directing the plaintiff/applicant to enactment the defendants connected notice.

“That the defendants/respondents are hereby ordered by this honourable tribunal to amusement origin wherefore the exertion should not beryllium granted. “The lawsuit is hereby adjourned to September 15, 2025, for the respondents to amusement cause,” Justice Nwite further held. INEC had precocious updated its records to bespeak the Senator Mark-led National Working Committee, NWC, of the ADC.

Three aggrieved members of the ADC had earlier approached the tribunal to sack the Senator Mark-led NWC.

The plaintiffs- Adeyemi Emmanuel, Ayodeji Tolu and Haruna Ism...