Just Like Labour Party and PDP, Crisis Rocks ADC Coalition as Court Asked to Sack Senator David Mark-Led Interim Leadership

Just Like Labour Party and PDP, Crisis Rocks ADC Coalition as Court Asked to Sack Senator David Mark-Led Interim Leadership

Just like the Labour Party and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the African Democratic Congress (ADC) is now grappling with internal crisis as a legal battle erupts over its interim leadership.

Three aggrieved members of the party — Adeyemi Emmanuel, Ayodeji Victor Tolu, and Haruna Ismaila — have filed a suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja seeking the removal of the newly installed interim leadership headed by former Senate President, Senator David Mark.

In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1328, the plaintiffs are challenging the legality of the appointment of Senator Mark as Interim National Chairman, former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola as Interim National Secretary, and ex-Minister of Sports Bolaji Abdullahi as Interim National Publicity Secretary.

The ADC is listed as the 1st defendant in the suit, with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and former National Chairman of the party, Ralphs Okey Nwosu, named as 2nd and 3rd defendants, respectively.

The plaintiffs are asking the court to determine whether the appointments of Mark, Aregbesola, and Abdullahi were in violation of the ADC Constitution (2018 as amended), specifically querying their qualifications, membership status, and the procedure through which they assumed office.

Among the legal issues raised, the plaintiffs are seeking clarity on whether:

The ADC Constitution permits the creation of interim leadership positions.

The newly appointed leaders were duly registered members of the party prior to their appointments.

The dissolution of the previous executive committee was valid without a national convention or National Executive Committee (NEC) decision.

INEC can lawfully recognize the interim leadership.

Additionally, they questioned whether Nwosu’s handover to the new leaders violated an earlier court judgment delivered in December 2022 by Justice Binta Nyako, which had ruled on the internal affairs of the party.

The plaintiffs urged the court to declare the interim appointments null and void, describing the process as unconstitutional and a breach of party guidelines.

No hearing date has been fixed as at the time of this report.

The controversy comes shortly after a major political coalition, reportedly backed by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, adopted the ADC as its platform to unseat President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 general elections.

Following the coalition’s formation, Nwosu had announced the dissolution of existing ADC structures to pave the way for new leadership to drive the alliance — a move now at the heart of the legal dispute.

The unfolding events threaten to destabilize the opposition coalition even before it gains traction, as internal divisions mirror the growing unrest already seen in the Labour Party and PDP. Political watchers say the outcome of the court case may determine whether the ADC remains a viable coalition platform or becomes another casualty of party infighting.