Court fines ADC leaders Mark and Aregbesola in Nigeria party dispute

The Federal High Court in Abuja dismissed the objections of African Democratic Congress (ADC) National Chairman Senator David Mark and National Secretary Rauf Aregbesola to plaintiff Nafiu‑Bala Gombe’s application to amend his suit challenging the legitimacy of the party’s current leadership. Justice Peter Lifu described the objections as frivolous and baseless, granted the amendment, and imposed a N500,000 fine on each defendant payable to Gombe.

In a related ruling, the same court awarded N1 million in costs against Mark, Aregbesola and the ADC, and a total of N3 million in costs in favor of Gombe. The suit contends that the emergence of Mark and Aregbesola as ADC national officers violated the party’s constitution and the Electoral Act. The court also rejected attempts to join additional parties to the case and affirmed that the amendment was necessary due to a change of counsel.

These judgments represent a significant development in the ADC leadership crisis, shaping the party’s internal governance and its compliance with Nigerian electoral law.