ADC leadership dispute court hearing resumes as Federal High Court sets May 8 date for suit against David Mark over party leadership tussle
The Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed Friday, 8 May 2026, for the hearing of a fresh application in the ongoing African Democratic Congress leadership dispute case involving former Senate President David Mark and other party officials.
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The case, marked FHC/ABJ/1819/2025, is before Justice Emeka Nwite, and centres on a legal challenge filed by Nafiu Bala over the control and leadership structure of the African Democratic Congress, David Mark.
Court documents confirm that hearing notices have already been issued to all parties following an application by the plaintiff’s counsel, Luka Haruna (SAN), who requested an accelerated hearing of the matter.
According to legal correspondence dated 5 May 2026 and submitted to the Deputy Chief Registrar of the Federal High Court, Bala’s legal team informed the court that an interlocutory appeal earlier filed by Mark had been dismissed by the Supreme Court on 30 April 2026.
The lawyers urged the court to proceed with an expedited hearing in line with the Court of Appeal’s directive, arguing that the matter is now ripe for determination.
“Following the dismissal of the interlocutory appeal filed by Senator David Mark by the Supreme Court of Nigeria on April 30, 2026, we hereby apply for a date for the accelerated hearing of this matter,” the legal team stated.
The development follows Justice Nwite’s earlier decision on 14 April 2026 to adjourn the case indefinitely, pending the outcome of proceedings at the Supreme Court.
The judge had also rejected an application by the Mark led ADC leadership seeking to hear all pending motions, including the substantive suit, at that stage.
The dispute stems from Bala’s challenge to the leadership structure of the party, in which he is asking the court to restrain Mark, the National Secretary Rauf Aregbesola, and others from parading themselves as legitimate leaders of the ADC.
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The case has continued to generate political tension within the party, with stakeholders closely watching the judiciary’s next move as the internal crisis deepens.
