A Federal High Court in Abuja has restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from validating or observing any state congresses organized by the African Democratic Congress (ADC) caretaker committee.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik ruled on Wednesday that the authority to conduct such congresses rests solely with the party’s elected state executive committees, rather than the national leadership or caretaker bodies.
The court further barred former Senate President David Mark and his caretaker team from interfering with the duties or tenures of the elected state officials.
This ruling surfaces as the ADC’s leadership struggle moves to the Supreme Court; following an April 22, 2026 hearing, the apex court is set to determine if the Federal High Court holds jurisdiction over the Mark-led committee’s authority.
Justice Abdulmalik emphasized that the central legal question remains whether the caretaker group has any constitutional right to usurp the powers of the party’s elected state organs.
“The germane issue was whether the second to sixth defendants, including Mr. Mark, had constitutional or statutory authority to assume the powers of an elected state organ of the ADC, whose tenure is constitutionally guaranteed,” she explained.
The plaintiffs, led by Don Norman Obinna and six others, challenged the actions of the caretaker committee, arguing that it lacked the constitutional mandate to organize state congresses or appoint committees for that purpose.
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