By Erewunmi Peace

In a dramatic twist within the African Democratic Congress (ADC), three aggrieved party members have approached the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking the immediate removal of the party’s newly appointed interim leaders, including former Senate President Senator David Mark and ex-Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola.

The plaintiffs—Adeyemi Emmanuel, Ayodeji Victor Tolu, and Haruna Ismaila—filed a suit challenging the legitimacy of the party’s interim leadership structure. They argue that the appointments of Mark as National Chairman and Aregbesola as National Secretary violate the ADC’s constitution and due process.

The move follows the announcement of the interim leadership after a controversial dissolution of the former National Working Committee. The plaintiffs allege that the current appointments were made without a proper national convention or stakeholder consultation, as required by the party’s guiding documents.

“The appointments were done in secrecy, in clear breach of the party’s constitutional provisions,” one of the plaintiffs claimed in court documents.

The aggrieved members are urging the court to:

Declare the current interim leadership as illegal and unconstitutional;

Nullify any decisions taken by the Mark-led committee;

Order the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to disregard the interim executives in all official capacities.

This legal battle comes at a critical time for the ADC, as it continues merger negotiations with other political movements ahead of the 2027 general elections. The leadership crisis could undermine the party’s stability and credibility in the coming months.

As of press time, the ADC’s interim leadership had yet to issue a formal response. A court date for hearing the suit is expected to be set in the coming days.