ADC Backs NBA’s Cautionionary Note On Parties’ Leadership Disputes

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has welcomed the Nigerian Bar Association’s position that courts lack jurisdiction over internal party matters.

The party described the Bar’s position as a clear validation of its stance in the ongoing leadership dispute.

The David Mark-led leadership of the ADC is currently being challenged in court by a former ADC Deputy National Chairman, Nafiu Bala Gombe.

Gombe is praying the court to void Mark’s chairmanship of the party and declare him the authentic national chairman.

When the matter got to the Court of Appeal, the appellate court ordered the two parties to the dispute to maintain the status quo ante bellum.

Consequently, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) delisted the Mark-led National Working Committee (NWC) from its official records.

The electoral body attributed its decision to the enforcement of the status quo ante bellum as directed by the Court of Appeal, a development that triggered calls for the resignation of the INEC chairman, Prof Joash Amupitan.

In a statement on Saturday by the ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the party said the NBA’s warning against abuse of court process and forum shopping confirmed that the court cases against its leadership are legally defective.

The opposition party urged INEC to avoid actions that could undermine neutrality or give legitimacy to unlawful judicial interference.

Describing the NBA’s intervention as “timely and principled,” the ADC alleged
attempts at subverting the lawful leadership of the party “through judicial manipulation.”

“The NBA’s position is clear and unambiguous: courts have no jurisdiction over the internal affairs of political parties, and any attempt to secure interim or interlocutory orders in such matters is in direct violation of the Electoral Act.

“This is precisely what the ADC has consistently maintained. What we are witnessing is not a legitimate legal dispute. It is a coordinated effort to weaponise the judicial process for political ends — a strategy the NBA has rightly described as an abuse of court process, driven by forum shopping and malafide litigation.

“This pattern reflects a deeper political anxiety within the ruling party, which, faced with a comprehensive failure across critical fronts: worsening insecurity, a crushing cost-of-living crisis, economic instability, rising unemployment, and declining public trust — now appears determined to weaken or neutralise all viable opposition platforms ahead of the 2027 general elections.

“The implication of this is straightforward: any orders procured in violation of the law, and any actions taken on the strength of such orders, are fundamentally defective and cannot stand,” the party said.

The ADC said it noted with concern that despite the existence of clear legal provisions, certain “nefarious actors” have persisted in dragging the courts into matters explicitly barred by statute.

According to the opposition party, other political actors have sought to exploit such processes to create confusion around the leadership of the ADC.

“We commend the NBA for its courage in calling out these practices and for reaffirming the foundational principle that the rule of law must not be subordinated to political expediency.

“We also take note of the NBA’s warning to legal practitioners and judicial officers, and its call for disciplinary action against those who deliberately undermine the law. This reinforces the seriousness of the violations currently at play.

“Accordingly, the ADC calls on INEC to take immediate cognisance of the NBA’s position and to refrain from any action that may lend credibility to processes that are clearly inconsistent with the Electoral Act. INEC must remain a neutral arbiter, not a participant in political engineering.

“Nigeria’s democracy cannot survive a system where laws are ignored, institutions are pressured, and judicial processes are manipulated to achieve predetermined political outcomes.

“The issue before us is bigger than the ADC. It is about the integrity of the democratic process itself.
We will continue to pursue all lawful means to defend the mandate of our party and protect the sanctity of Nigeria’s democracy,” the party added.