The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has reinstated Senator David Mark as National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, alongside other members of the party’s National Working Committee.
Checks on INEC’s official website confirmed the updated leadership list of the ADC, with Mark listed as Chairman and former Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, as National Secretary.
Also reinstated were Dr Mani Ahmad as National Treasurer, Akibu Dalhatu as National Financial Secretary, and Prof Oserheimen Osunbor as National Legal Adviser.
The commission had earlier in April removed the names of the affected officials from its portal in compliance with a Court of Appeal directive, a decision that triggered protests from the Mark-led faction and other political actors within the opposition space.
The dispute stemmed from a protracted legal battle over the legitimacy of Mark’s emergence as National Chairman and the broader leadership structure of the ADC.
However, the Supreme Court on Thursday nullified the Court of Appeal’s order, holding that the directive to maintain the status quo ante bellum could not continue after the matter had been determined, describing its extension as unnecessary and legally unsustainable.
The apex court also granted the appeal filed by the Mark-led faction and directed that the substantive suit instituted by aggrieved chieftain Nafiu Bala Gombe at the Federal High Court be heard expeditiously on its merit.
The development has been hailed by the Mark-led faction of the ADC as a victory for due process and internal party stability.
However, despite the Supreme Court’s intervention clearing the immediate legal hurdle that led to INEC’s earlier derecognition, the main suit challenging the validity of the leadership remains pending before the Federal High Court.
