ADC leadership: Protest at Abuja court as Mark, Gombe’s case adjourned again

  Supporters of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) led by Senator David Mark on Monday staged a protest at the entrance of the Federal High Court in Abuja, urging the judiciary not to allow itself to be used to undermine opposition parties in Nigeria. The demonstration comes amid the […]

 

Supporters of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) led by Senator David Mark on Monday staged a protest at the entrance of the Federal High Court in Abuja, urging the judiciary not to allow itself to be used to undermine opposition parties in Nigeria.

The demonstration comes amid the ongoing leadership dispute within the ADC involving the faction led by Nafiu Bala-Gombe and the rival leadership headed by Mark.

The protesters alleged that the legal battle, which was recently remitted to the Federal High Court by the Supreme Court, is being used as a distraction aimed at weakening the opposition party.

Meanwhile, the court has fixed June 16, 2026, to rule on the application by ADC chieftains seeking the recusal of Justice Peter Lifu, who is handling the leadership tussle suit.

Justice Lifu fixed the date for ruling on Monday shortly after the recusal applications were adopted and argued by lawyers representing the parties.

Daily Trust reports that a former Deputy National Chairman of the ADC, Bala Nafiu, who is laying claim to the party’s leadership, had last year approached the Federal High Court to challenge the David Mark-led National Working Committee (NWC) of the party.

The suit, which is being opposed by the Mark-led ADC, had gone up to the Supreme Court before it was returned to the Federal High Court on April 30, 2026, for an accelerated hearing. The matter was originally being handled by Justice Emeka Nwite before his elevation to the Court of Appeal, after which it was reassigned to Justice Lifu by the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho.

Before handing over the matter, Justice Nwite had on May 8, 2026—shortly after the case returned from the apex court—adjourned it indefinitely. This followed a letter written by Nafiu to Justice Tsoho seeking the transfer of the case to another judge. Justice Nwite had also requested the parties to furnish him with the Supreme Court judgment, which ordered an accelerated hearing of all pending applications before the trial court.

However, the matter was subsequently reassigned to Justice Lifu, who assumed jurisdiction on June 3, 2026. After listening to all counsel present, he ordered an accelerated trial and adjourned to June 8, 2026, to hear all pending applications. The Mark-led ADC faction, however, strongly opposed Justice Lifu handling the expedited suit.

When the matter came up on Monday, June 8, a heated argument ensued as lawyers identified their individual processes. Consequently, Justice Lifu ordered counsel to adopt their motions seeking his withdrawal from the trial over alleged bias against the Mark-led ADC.

The ADC, Senator David Mark, Rauf Aregbesola, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and Chief Ralph Nwosu are the 1st to 5th respondents in the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025.

Except for the second respondent and INEC, the other parties—including a party seeking to be joined, the National Welfare Secretary of the ADC, Nkemakolam Ukandu—all asked Justice Lifu to recuse himself, transfer the matter, or stay proceedings over alleged bias.