Trending 
A Nigerian High Court has affirmed the Senator David Mark-led leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and dismissed a suit filed by Kogi lawmaker Leke Abejide challenging the party’s leadership.
Delivering judgment, Justice Musa Liman held that Abejide’s suit lacked merit, ruling that the lawmaker failed to establish that any of his legal rights had been violated by the emergence of the Mark-led leadership.
The court also upheld the preliminary objections filed by the ADC, its former National Chairman, Ralph Nwosu, the incumbent National Chairman, David Mark, and the party’s National Secretary, Rauf Aregbesola.
Justice Liman further ordered Abejide to pay N2 million in litigation costs to each of the defendants.
Abejide had approached the court in February, seeking to nullify the transfer of the party’s leadership from Nwosu to Mark and Aregbesola, which he claimed was unlawful.
He also sought an order restraining Mark and Aregbesola from performing the duties of National Chairman and National Secretary, respectively, and asked the court to stop the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognising them as the party’s national officers.
However, Justice Liman dismissed all the claims and affirmed the legitimacy of the ADC’s current leadership.
The judgment comes three months after INEC removed the names of Mark, Aregbesola and other members of the Mark-led National Working Committee from its portal in compliance with a Court of Appeal order directing all parties to maintain the status quo ante bellum pending the determination of the substantive suit.
