The Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday adjourned indefinitely a suit challenging the leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) under former Senate President, David Mark.
Justice Emeka Nwite adjourned the matter sine die after the plaintiff, ADC chieftain Nafiu Bala Gombe, informed the court that he had written to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court seeking the transfer of the case to another judge.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025, stems from the recent leadership crisis within the ADC following the emergence of Mark and former Osun State governor, Rauf Aregbesola, in the party’s leadership structure.
At the resumed hearing, counsel to the plaintiff, Luka Musa Haruna, told the court that the Supreme Court had on April 30 dismissed an interlocutory appeal filed by Mark against the proceedings.
Haruna said the apex court also vacated the Court of Appeal’s earlier order staying proceedings in the substantive suit.
ALSO READ ADC woos Jonathan as Mark, Atiku insist on primaries Isaac Samuel The race to the 2027 presidency took a dramatic turn this week as the African Democratic Congress (ADC) intensified efforts to lure former President Goodluck Jonathan into its fold. Jonathan, it was gathered is also taking decisive moves to reset opposition strategy and mount a formidable challenge against President Bola Tinubu. The former President held a closed-door meeting held in Abuja on Thursday with ADC National Chairman, Senator David Mark. Jonathan, who publicly met with politicians and party leaders for the first time since his rumoured bid to return to power, met the ADC stakeholders at the home of Mark. Seen in a viral video as he walked into the expansive residence of the former Senate President in Abuja, others with Mark were former Minister of Sports and ADC spokesperson, Malam Bolaji Abdullahi as well as a former National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, among others. Sources claimed the former president has begun consultations ahead of the 2027 polls following increasing pressure to get in the ring and ‘save’ the nation. But it was learnt that the former President's bid to return to Aso Rock on the platform of the opposition coalition may have hit an early stumbling block. At Thursday’s meeting, Mark was said to have told the former president in clear terms that the only path to the party’s presidential ticket was through the front door by formally joining the party and submitting himself to a transparent primary election. Unable to secure any guarantees, Jonathan and Mark agreed to meet again soon to review the situation. It was learnt that the ADC is moving to draft Jonathan into the race beccause he is seen as a compromise candidate, but his strong base used to be the South-East which is now the political fortress of Obi. But Jonathan is not alone in seeking assurances. Both former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, are also pressing the ADC leadership for firm commitments before they take the plunge. The party’s new leadership, however, has refused to make such promises, a development that explains why all three leading contenders are still holding back from declaring for the party. For them, early commitment without certainty could prove politically fatal. Aligning with the ADC and then losing its ticket could leave any of the trio stranded and without a viable political vehicle ahead of 2027. Obi has consistently insisted that power must remain in the South for equity, even pledging to serve a single term if elected. But his camp remains opposed to any vice-presidential offer, warning that such a move would be politically suicidal after his strong showing in 2023. For Atiku, who resigned from the PDP in July, the plan is to complete ongoing grassroots mobilisation before formally collecting his ADC membership card in Adamawa. While Atiku insists he is ready for an open primary, his increasing influence within ADC backed by significant political investments is fuelling fears that the presidential ticket may already be tilted in his favour. That dynamic, party figures say, could force Jonathan and Obi to reconsider their strategies. Meanwhile, the ADC leadership is trying to project unity. After a caucus meeting in Abuja attended by Mark, Atiku, former governors Nasir El-Rufai, Aminu Tambuwal and Rotimi Amaechi, the party directed all undecided members to resign from their existing parties. Peter Obi, a member of the coalition party, had yet to disclaim his membership of Labour Party (LP). Atiku is also yet to get his ADC membership even though he has resigned from PDP. National Publicity Secretary of ADC, Bolaji Abdullahi, disclosed the new directive while addressing journalists in Abuja, after a caucus meeting attended by top party leaders and political figures. Abdullahi said, “Though final order has been given to all members to resign membership of other political parties, the caucus was silent on the timeline.” The caucus also announced that all issues concerning African Democratic Association (ADA) had been concluded. According to Abdullahi, “The coalition has rested everything concerning the ADA. That means they are not interested in the registration or otherwise of the association.” On the 2027 presidential race, Abdullahi said ADC’s presidential aspirants had agreed to back whoever emerged winner of the primaries. “All the presidential aspirants have agreed to support whoever wins the primaries election,” he stated. The ADC spokesman further revealed that the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) would soon announce dates for primaries in Osun and Ekiti states ahead of the off-cycle governorship elections in both states. Those present at the meeting included National Chairman, David Mark; former Vice President Atiku Abubakar; National Secretary, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola; former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai; former Sokoto State Governor, Senator Aminu Tambuwal; and former Rivers State Governor, Chibuike Amaechi.
He said: “The interlocutory appeal of the second defendant travelled to the Supreme Court and on April 30, 2026, the Supreme Court dismissed the appeal for lacking merit.”
The lawyer, however, disclosed that the plaintiff had, through a letter dated May 4, 2026, requested the Chief Judge to reassign the matter to another judge.
He urged Justice Nwite to suspend further proceedings pending the administrative decision of the Chief Judge.
The request was opposed by counsel to the defendants, who accused the plaintiff of attempting to delay the accelerated hearing earlier ordered by the Court of Appeal and upheld by the Supreme Court.
Counsel to the first defendant, Realwan Okpanachi, argued that the defence had not been served with the application seeking transfer of the case.
“We have not received any communication regarding the application. We do not know its content and we consider the approach of the plaintiff as an ambush,” he said.
Okpanachi added that the move appeared aimed at frustrating the accelerated hearing ordered by the appellate courts.
Counsel to the second defendant, Sulaiman Usman, described the request as an act of “forum shopping and judge shopping.”
He argued that the plaintiff could not rely on a private correspondence to the Chief Judge as a basis for asking the court to halt proceedings.
Also opposing the request, counsel to the fifth defendant, P.I. Oyewole, described the application as strange and accused the plaintiff of attempting to draw the Chief Judge into “judicial rascality.”
Responding, Haruna maintained that the plaintiff stood by the request for reassignment of the matter.
In his ruling, Justice Nwite held that the court could not act on the letter without hearing from all parties involved in the suit.
The judge said taking any decision on the request without giving the defendants an opportunity to respond would amount to a breach of their right to fair hearing.
He noted that since the letter was addressed to the Chief Judge, the trial court could not make any pronouncement on it.
Justice Nwite subsequently adjourned the matter indefinitely to allow parties file a Certified True Copy of the Supreme Court judgment, serve the defendants with the letter written to the Chief Judge, and await further directives.
Gombe is seeking an order restraining Mark, Aregbesola and others from parading themselves as leaders of the ADC, arguing that their emergence violated the party’s constitution and provisions of the Electoral Act.
