Hearing on Bala's lawsuit against Mark's ADC set for Friday in court

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The Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed Friday, May 8, for hearing in the suit filed by Nafiu Gombe against former Senate President David Mark and others over the leadership crisis rocking the African Democratic Congress.

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The matter, marked FHC/ABJ/1819/2025, is before Justice Emeka Nwite.

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It was gathered on Wednesday that hearing notices had already been issued to parties in the suit following an application by counsel for the plaintiff, Luka Haruna (SAN), seeking an accelerated hearing of the case.

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According to the News Agency of Nigeria, in the letter dated May 5 and addressed to the Deputy Chief Registrar of the Federal High Court, the plaintiff’s legal team informed the court that the interlocutory appeal filed by Mark had been dismissed by the Supreme Court on April 30.

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The lawyers, Robert Emukpoeruo, Lukman Fagbemi and Haruna, urged the court to fix the matter for accelerated hearing in line with the judgment of the Court of Appeal.

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They stated, “Following the dismissal of the interlocutory appeal filed by Senator David Mark by the Supreme Court of Nigeria on April 30, 2026, we hereby apply for a date for the accelerated hearing of this matter in accordance with the judgment of the Court of Appeal.”

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Recall that Justice Nwite had on April 14 adjourned the case sine die (indefinitely) after Gombe urged the court to await the outcome of proceedings at the Supreme Court.

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The judge, however, declined an application by the Mark-led ADC leadership seeking hearing of all pending motions, including the substantive suit.

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Gombe, a former National Deputy Chairman of the ADC, is seeking an order restraining Mark, the party’s National Secretary, Rauf Aregbesola, and others from parading themselves as leaders of the party.

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The plaintiff had sued the ADC, Mark, Aregbesola, the Independent National Electoral Commission and former National Chairman of the party, Ralph Nwosu, as first to fifth defendants respectively.

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Gombe argued that the emergence of Mark and Aregbesola as leaders of the party violated the provisions of the ADC constitution as well as the Electoral Act.

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