The Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday adjourned a suit filed by Nafiu-Bala Gombe against the Sen. David Mark-led leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), until June 8 for hearing.
Justice Peter Lifu postponed the case after Gombe’s lawyer, Robert Emukpoeruo, SAN, requested an adjournment due to the absence of legal representatives for parties seeking to join the suit.
When the case was called, only the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the parties seeking joinder were absent.
While court records confirmed that INEC had been duly served with a hearing notice, the parties seeking to join had not received service.
Counsel to the ADC, Shaibu Aruwa, SAN, drew the court’s attention to the history of the suit regarding the joinder applicants.
He noted that the previous trial judge, Justice Emeka Nwite, had taken judicial notice of them in prior proceedings.
Aruwa subsequently urged the court to grant the parties seeking joinder the opportunity to appear and argue their case in the interest of a fair hearing.
He added that issues had already been joined with these parties, an arrangement the plaintiff was aware of.
In response, Emukpoeruo referenced a Supreme Court judgment that ordered an accelerated hearing of the case, aligning with an earlier Appeal Court ruling.
The lawyer, who requested that all pending processes be filed and served, sought the adjournment to ensure the parties seeking to join received a fair hearing.
The defense counsel—including Aruwa; Suleiman Usman, SAN, representing Sen. David Mark; Realwan Okpanachi, representing Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola; and P. I. Oyewole, representing Chief Ralph Nwosu—did not oppose the adjournment request.
However, the defense informed the court that the plaintiff’s actions in seeking a reassignment of the case while it was before Justice Nwite had allegedly delayed the apex court’s order for an accelerated hearing.
Justice Lifu remarked that no individual has the right to choose which court determines their case.
He emphasized that based on the directive of the Chief Judge who assigned the case to him and the Supreme Court’s call for an accelerated hearing, he was bound to ensure justice is served.
The judge accepted full responsibility on behalf of the court for the failure to serve the hearing notices on the parties seeking to join.
He subsequently adjourned the matter until June 8 for hearing. Justice Lifu, ordering an accelerated hearing, directed the court bailiff to serve all parties seeking joinder within 24 hours.
“In the circumstances of this case and overall interest of justice and order of the Supreme Court and the Appeal Court, this case is hereby given accelerated hearing,” he said.
He further ordered all parties to file and serve their respective processes before the next adjourned date.
According to reports, Gombe, an aggrieved former National Deputy Chairman of the ADC, initiated the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025.
The plaintiff is seeking an order to restrain Mark, the embattled National Chairman of the ADC; Aregbesola, the National Secretary; and members of their interim National Working Committee (NWC) from parading themselves as leaders of the party.
He argued that the emergence of Mark, Aregbesola, and other NWC members violated both the party’s constitution and the Electoral Act.
Gombe listed the ADC, Mark, Aregbesola, INEC, and Ralph Nwosu as the first to fifth defendants, respectively.
Nwosu is the former ADC National Chairman who stepped down to make way for the David Mark-led leadership.
Reports indicate that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar emerged as the ADC presidential candidate on May 27 after defeating two other aspirants, including former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi, at the party’s national convention.
Meanwhile, Dumebi Kachikwu emerged as the presidential candidate for the 2027 general election through a national convention organized by a separate faction of the ADC.
The 2023 presidential candidate was adopted as the sole presidential candidate by factional members of the party on May 24.
