BREAKING: Court Adjourns ADC Suit Indefinitely After Transfer Request

By Tgnews Reporter

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday, May 8, 2026, adjourned sine die the contentious suit challenging the leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), deepening the ongoing crisis rocking the party ahead of future elections.

Justice Emeka Nwite adjourned the matter indefinitely after the plaintiff, Nafiu Bala Gombe, an ADC chieftain, informed the court of his application to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court for the transfer of the case to another judge.

The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025, seeks to restrain former Senate President David Mark, ex-Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola, and others from parading themselves as leaders of the ADC. Gombe argues that their emergence violated the party’s constitution and the Electoral Act.

At the resumed hearing, the plaintiff’s counsel, Luka Musa Haruna, told the court that the Supreme Court on April 30, 2026, dismissed an interlocutory appeal filed by Mark and set aside the Court of Appeal’s order staying proceedings in the substantive suit.

However, Haruna revealed that the plaintiff had written to the Chief Judge on May 4, 2026, seeking reassignment of the case. He urged the court to await the Chief Judge’s administrative decision on the transfer request.

The request drew sharp opposition from counsel to the defendants, who accused the plaintiff of forum shopping and attempting to frustrate the accelerated hearing previously ordered by the Court of Appeal and upheld by the Supreme Court.

Realwan Okpanachi, counsel to the first defendant, described the move as an ambush, noting that the defence had not been served with the application. Sulaiman Usman, representing the second defendant, called it “judge shopping” and a dangerous trend, while P.I. Oyewole, counsel to the fifth defendant, labelled the request “strange” and accused the plaintiff of inviting judicial rascality.

In his ruling, Justice Nwite held that the court could not act on the letter addressed to the Chief Judge without hearing from all parties, as doing so would breach the defendants’ fundamental rights.

“This matter is best adjourned sine die to afford the parties properly file a Certified True Copy of the judgment of the Supreme Court… to serve the defendants with the letter addressed to the Honourable Chief Judge, and finally to await further or any directive from the Chief Judge,” the judge ruled.

The indefinite adjournment comes as the ADC grapples with a fresh leadership tussle following the emergence of Mark and Aregbesola in the party’s hierarchy, adding to the political realignments already shaking Nigeria’s opposition landscape ahead of 2027.

The case remains pending, with parties expected to await further directives from the Chief Judge.