The African Democratic Congress has clarified that no court injunction was granted against its National Chairman, Senator David Mark and National Secretary former Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola.
ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bola Abdullahi, in a statement on Thursday, explained that after failing to prevent the Independent National Electoral Commission from recognising the party’s leadership change, political opportunists have now resorted to spreading fake news.
The African Democratic Congress, one of Nigeria’s opposition parties, has been embroiled in a leadership tussle in recent months.
The crisis deepened after the Independent National Electoral Commission officially recognised a new leadership structure led by Mark, as National Chairman, and Aregbesola, as National Secretary.
PUNCH Online reports that INEC had on Wednesday officially recognised Mark and Aregbesola as leaders of the coalition party, ADC.
However, by Thursday morning, some media outlets reported that a self-acclaimed factional chairman of the ADC, Nafiu Bala Gombe, had obtained a court order restraining Mark and others.
In response, Abdullahi dismissed the report as fake news and urged the public to disregard it.
He stated, “The African Democratic Congress wishes to set the record straight regarding false reports currently circulating in the media about the recent ruling of the Federal High Court, Abuja, concerning the leadership of our great party.
“Contrary to some misleading publications, the court did not issue any order restraining Senator David Mark and Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola from functioning as the National Chairman and National Secretary of the ADC, respectively. Instead, the Honourable Court refused the ex-parte application brought by Hon. Nafiu Bala Gombe and directed that the matter proceed with due process.
“The ruling, delivered by Hon. Justice Emeka Nwite on September 4, 2025, clearly stated the following four orders: That the Plaintiff/Applicant’s application dated and filed on September 2, 2025, is refused.That the Plaintiff/Applicant is hereby directed to put the Defendants on notice.
“That the Defendants/Respondents are ordered to appear before this Honourable Court to show cause why the application should not be granted. That the case is adjourned to September 15, 2025, for the Defendants/Respondents to show cause. The Order was duly signed and issued by Hon. Justice Emeka Nwite, Presiding Judge, and certified by Kasope Kafayat Bola, Registrar of the Federal High Court.”
Adding, ADC described the report as a distortion of the court’s ruling, stating, “Having failed to stop INEC from acknowledging the leadership change in ADC, the political Jobbers are now resorting to fake news.
“This goes to show that these agents of destablisation will stop at nothing, including misrepresenting court rulings, in their desperate efforts to sow confusion and further undermine opposition parties.
“In this regard, the leadership of the ADC urges members of the press and the general public to be vigilant and be wary of fake news and inaccurate reports characteristic of the ruling party and their agents.”
