INEC restores Mark-led ADC leadership, Kachikwu disputes move

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has updated its website to list David Mark as national chairman and Rauf Aregbesola as national secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), following a ruling by the Supreme Court of Nigeria on the party’s leadership dispute.

The update, observed Thursday evening, reverses INEC’s earlier decision in April to remove the Mark-led executive after a Court of Appeal judgment.

In its unanimous ruling, the Supreme Court directed parties in the dispute to return to the Federal High Court for determination of the substantive issues, while setting aside the appellate court’s order for parties to maintain the status quo ante bellum.

Despite the development, Dumebi Kachikwu, a factional leader and presidential candidate of the party in 2023, rejected any suggestion that the judgment validates the Mark-led faction, insisting that neither it nor the group led by Nafiu Bala has a legitimate claim to the party’s leadership.

“Today, the supreme court of Nigeria displayed King Solomon’s wisdom in refusing to be used as a tool of destabilisation by the David Mark-led group when it directed both factions to return to the trial court for continuation of the trial,” Kachikwu said in a statement.

“In vacating the order of status quo ante bellum… they should allow the lower court to determine if any of the two factions is the rightful leadership of the ADC,” he added.

Kachikwu likened the dispute to “two thieves claiming ownership of a stolen car,” insisting that “none of the two parties has a rightful claim.”

He also argued that the apex court did not direct INEC to recognise any faction, maintaining that the leadership question remains unresolved pending a final court decision.

Kachikwu also referenced a separate ruling by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court, which upheld the tenure of existing state executive committees within the ADC.

According to him, the court ruled that the tenure of the state working committee and executive committee “still subsists” and must be allowed to perform their constitutional duties without interference.

He quoted the court as affirming that the conduct of state congresses falls within the exclusive powers of the state executive committees.

“I also find that by virtue of Article 19 (9) (iv) of the 1st defendant’s constitution, the conduct of state congresses is the exclusive function of the state executive committee,” he said.

“Therefore, I hold the firm view that the appointment of the ‘congress committee members’ or kangaroo committee, so to speak, is a contraption to usurp the powers of elected members of the state executive committee who have fixed tenure that have not expired.”

Kachikwu added that the court issued a perpetual injunction restraining the defendants and their associates from organising state congresses or convening a national convention for the party.

He maintained that the ruling reinforces his position that the rival factions lack legal standing, describing their actions as “futile.”