The Federal High Court in Abuja will on Friday hear a suit filed by Nafiu Gombe against former Senate President David Mark and other leaders of the African Democratic Congress over the party’s leadership dispute ahead of the 2027 elections.
The case, marked FHC/ABJ/1819/2025, is before Justice Emeka Nwite. The court fixed the date after the legal team representing Gombe requested a speedy hearing following the dismissal of an interlocutory appeal linked to the matter at the Supreme Court on April 30, 2026.
Lawyers to the plaintiff informed the court that the Supreme Court decision cleared the way for the main suit to continue. Based on that development, they asked the court to proceed quickly with the hearing in line with an earlier judgment by the Court of Appeal.
The legal battle is connected to the leadership crisis within the ADC after David Mark and former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola emerged in leadership positions in the party.
Gombe, who previously served as the National Deputy Chairman of the ADC, is asking the court to stop Mark, Aregbesola and others from acting as leaders of the party. He argued that their emergence did not follow the provisions of the ADC constitution and the Electoral Act.
The plaintiff listed the ADC, David Mark, Rauf Aregbesola, the Independent National Electoral Commission and former National Chairman of the party, Ralph Nwosu, as defendants in the suit.
The matter had earlier been stalled on April 14 after Justice Nwite adjourned the case indefinitely pending the outcome of proceedings at the Supreme Court. At the time, the court also declined a request by the Mark-led leadership of the party to hear pending motions and the substantive suit immediately.
With the Supreme Court matter now settled, hearing notices have reportedly been sent to all parties involved in the case ahead of Friday’s proceedings.
The court hearing is expected to determine the next phase of the legal battle over the control and leadership structure of the ADC as political activities ahead of the 2027 elections continue to gather momentum across the country.