Court Rules on ADC Leadership Suit, Fines Mark, Aregbesola

The Federal High Court in Abuja, presided over by Justice Peter Lifu, dismissed objections from African Democratic Congress (ADC) National Chairman David Mark and National Secretary Rauf Aregbesola regarding an application by party chieftain Nafiu Bala Gombe to amend his leadership suit. Gombe is challenging the legitimacy of Mark and Aregbesola's emergence as national officers, claiming it violated the party's constitution and the Electoral Act.

Justice Lifu described the objections as “frivolous, baseless and without an iota of merit,” emphasizing that the amendment was a standard procedure in civil litigation to prevent a miscarriage of justice. He ordered Mark and Aregbesola to pay N500,000 in costs to Gombe.

The leadership crisis within the ADC has led to multiple court cases, with the Supreme Court recently directing that the substantive case be heard on an accelerated basis, resulting in the restoration of the Mark-led leadership by the Independent National Electoral Commission.