By Luminous Jannamike
ABUJA — The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has welcomed the Federal High Court’s judgment in the suit filed by Hon. Leke Joseph Abejide, saying his attempt to unseat Senator David Mark’s leadership of the party ended in failure and fines.
The party said it believes the ruling finally settles the lingering legal dispute over its leadership, allowing it to focus on presenting what it described as practical alternatives to Nigeria’s worsening economic and security challenges.
In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC said Justice M. S. Liman struck out the suit for lack of jurisdiction, affirmed the emergence of Senator David Mark and other members of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC), directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise them as the party’s national officers and, according to the party, awarded fines against Abejide and his lawyers.
“This judgment, once again, affirms our clear position that the issue of leadership remains an internal affair of the party and is therefore not justiciable, especially in the light of the Electoral Act, 2022; and that the emergence of the current leadership of our great party, led by Senator David Mark, was carried out in accordance with the law and the Constitution of the ADC,” the statement said.
The ADC described the judgment as another victory for Nigeria’s multiparty democracy and said it hoped the decision would mark the end of the legal challenges surrounding its leadership.
The party said it hoped the judgment would “help bring to an end all the unnecessary distractions and attempts at judicial manipulation by those who are hell-bent on destabilising the opposition and foisting a one-party rule on the country.”
It maintained that the judgment would allow the party to concentrate on issues affecting Nigerians rather than remain distracted by litigation.
Abdullahi said, “At a time when millions of Nigerians are confronted daily with worsening insecurity, an unbearable cost of living, rising unemployment and declining economic opportunities, our responsibility as a serious opposition party is to present practical solutions as alternatives to the people, not to be bogged down by contrived legal challenges.
“Even as we celebrate this victory in court, we remain vigilant, convinced that anti-democratic forces remain active and motivated to continue to pursue their inglorious agenda against the Nigerian people.
“We commend, especially, the Judge’s decision to award fines against the Plaintiff and his lawyers, hoping that this measure will serve as a deterrent to those who may want to pursue such frivolous actions in the future.”
The ADC thanked its members, supporters and millions of Nigerians who stood by the party throughout the legal dispute and urged them to remain united and focused as it pursued its political objectives.
