The Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) decision to remove its top executives from official records has been challenged by the African Democratic Congress (ADC), led by Senator David Mark, in the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The dispute came when INEC removed David Mark’s name as National Chairman and Rauf Aregbesola’s name as National Secretary from its website on April 1.
Mark’s attorney, Sulaiman Usman (SAN), filed an application on April 7 asking the court to order INEC to return the names of the party’s National Working Committee members to their pre-dispute positions.
“An order of mandatory injunction, setting aside the decision, act, or directive of the respondent removing the names of the applicant’s National Working Committee from its official portal” is one of the requests.
Along with other National Executive Committee members, the group also requested that the court order INEC to acknowledge and uphold Mark and Aregbesola’s names.
They also want the court to prohibit INEC from altering the party’s leadership records or acknowledging any competing claims until the matter is resolved.
The lawsuit comes after a Court of Appeal ruling on March 12 in a separate case involving Nafiu Gombe, the party’s former deputy national chairman.
Usman contended that while the dispute was being resolved, the appeal court had instructed all parties to keep things as they were.
“The second defendant (Senator David Mark) was the recognized national chairman as of Sept. 2, 2025, when this action was instituted,” he stated.
He said the removal of the names caused confusion among the party and accused INEC of misinterpreting the court’s decision.
“The law is settled that a mandatory injunction may be granted… to restore a party to the position wrongfully altered,” he said.
Additionally, the attorney requested an accelerated hearing of the case, cautioning that the party’s operations are being impacted by the continuing leadership crisis and that it may result in parallel structures.
“The continued pendency of the suit is capable of rendering the subject matter nugatory,” he stated.
According to court documents, the conflict started in September 2025 when Gombe filed a lawsuit contesting the party’s leadership.
The Court of Appeal decided that the status quo be upheld, but the trial court subsequently ordered all parties to respond.
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