Senator David Mark, the embattled national chairman of the African Democratic Congress, has assured party members that the party will participate in all elections in 2027, despite ongoing legal challenges.
Mark spoke on Wednesday night after receiving a briefing from the party’s legal team on a recent Federal High Court judgment in Abuja, dismissing concerns about the party’s litigations and expressing confidence in a positive outcome.
“You do not have anything to be afraid of regarding all the litigations before the party.
“I want to assure you that we shall triumph in all the cases, and we shall be on the ballot for every election.
“We are more than prepared and ready for these cases, and we shall do everything within the ambits of the law to surmount every situation.
“In this legal battle, though I am not a lawyer, I will lead from the front, and we shall surely triumph,” Mark was quoted saying in a statement issued by ADC spokesperson Bolaji Abdullahi.
The Federal High Court, presided over by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, on Wednesday, restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission from recognizing or participating in any state congresses organized by the disputed caretaker leadership of the ADC.
The court also prohibited Mark and other caretaker committee members from interfering with the functions and term of the party’s elected state executive committees.
However, the party’s legal team has already initiated the process of appealing the ruling and has requested a stay of execution.
The verdict is the latest stage in the ADC’s simmering leadership crisis, with clear ramifications for party structure control ahead of future electoral actions.
The action began with an originating summons issued by Norman Obinna and six others on behalf of the party’s state chairpersons and executive committees.
The plaintiffs questioned the validity of activities performed by a caretaker or interim national leadership, specifically the decision to hold state congresses through an appointed committee.
They claimed that the caretaker body lacked the constitutional authority to organize such congresses or appoint committees for that purpose.
