The leadership crisis rocking the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has escalated, with former Senate President, David Mark, approaching the Federal High Court in Abuja to challenge the actions of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The suit follows INEC’s decision to remove the names of Mark, listed as National Chairman, and Rauf Aregbesola, National Secretary, from its official portal on April 1.

In a motion filed on April 7 by his counsel, Sulaiman Usman (SAN), Mark is seeking a mandatory injunction compelling INEC to reverse the decision.

He is asking the court to set aside the removal of the ADC National Working Committee (NWC) from INEC’s records and direct the electoral body to restore and maintain the names of the party’s leadership pending the determination of the suit.

He also wants the court to restrain INEC from recognising any rival leadership or interfering with the party’s records.

Mark further urged the presiding judge, Emeka Nwite, to nullify INEC’s refusal to monitor the party’s congresses and convention.

The legal action stems from differing interpretations of a March 12 judgment of the Court of Appeal, which directed parties to maintain the status quo ante bellum, the last uncontested state of affairs before the dispute.

Mark’s legal team argued that as of September 2, 2025, when the suit was instituted, he remained the recognised National Chairman of the ADC, and that INEC’s decision to delist the leadership was based on a misinterpretation of the appellate court’s directive.

According to the lawyers, INEC’s action has created a leadership vacuum within the party, undermining its operations and political participation, and is capable of rendering the subject matter of the suit nugatory.

In a separate motion, the Mark-led faction is seeking an accelerated hearing of the case, urging the court to abridge timelines for filing processes and to conduct day-to-day proceedings until final determination.

The applicants argued that the lingering uncertainty has disrupted the party’s internal administration, encouraged parallel leadership claims, and created institutional confusion.

The dispute originated from a suit filed by Hon. Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former Deputy National Chairman of the party, challenging the ADC leadership structure.

In an earlier ruling, the Federal High Court declined an ex parte application to restrain the Mark-led leadership and instead directed that all parties be put on notice.

The Court of Appeal subsequently ordered parties to return to the trial court and maintain the status quo pending determination of the case.

The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025, lists the ADC, Mark, Aregbesola, INEC and former National Chairman, Chief Ralph Nwosu, as defendants