ADC Says Court of Appeal Ruling Doesn’t Affect Party Leadership
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has insisted that the recent Court of Appeal ruling in the party’s leadership dispute does not affect its current national leadership.
In a statement on Saturday, ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said, “Having carefully studied the judgment, we wish to state unequivocally that the Court of Appeal did not determine the substantive dispute regarding the leadership of the ADC.”
He added that the case challenging Senator David Mark’s emergence as National Chairman and Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola’s as National Secretary is still pending before the Federal High Court and “has not yet been heard or decided on its merits.”
The party clarified that the appellate court “did not grant any relief in favour of the plaintiff, nor did it issue any order affecting the leadership structure of the party.”
Instead, it ordered that parties maintain the status quo, meaning the current leadership remains in place until the substantive suit is resolved.
Abdullahi urged party members not to panic or be misled by misinterpretations of the judgment, stressing that it is purely procedural and “does not affect the legitimacy or tenure of the current national leadership of the party.”
He reaffirmed the party’s unity, saying, “The ADC remains united and focused despite the antics of anti-democratic forces bent on imposing a one-party rule on Nigeria.”
The Court of Appeal in Abuja had dismissed an appeal filed by ADC National Chairman Senator David Mark, challenging a September 4, 2025 ruling of Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Abuja.
Justice Nwite had declined to grant an ex parte application filed by former ADC Deputy National Chairman Nafiu Bala Gombe, who also filed a substantive suit questioning Mark and Aregbesola’s leadership.
A three-member panel of the Court of Appeal, led by Justice Uchechukwu Onyemenam, upheld a preliminary objection by Gombe, ruling that Mark’s appeal was incompetent because it raised issues not reflected in the trial court’s actual ruling.
Justice Onyemenam noted that the appellate court cannot review matters not first determined by the lower court.
She also faulted Mark for relying on the enrolled order prepared by the court’s registrar rather than the judge’s ruling, highlighting that the authentic record of a court’s decision is what is pronounced by the judge.
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