The Independent National Electoral Commission has removed former Senate President David Mark and ex-Governor Rauf Aregbesola as national chairman and secretary of the African Democratic Congress respectively, citing a ruling of the Court of Appeal.

The electoral commission also removed the chairman of the ADC faction, Nafiu Bala Gombe, following its review of the Court of Appeal judgement dated March 12, 2026.

INEC announced its decision on Wednesday April 1, 2026, following its review of a judgmeent in Appeal No. CA/ABJ/145/2026, which arose from a leadership dispute within the ADC.

The electoral commission said it would also remove the names of members of the party’s factional National Working Committee led by Mr Mark from its official portal, in compliance with the court’s directive to maintain the “status quo ante bellum.”

INEC noted that the decision meant that it would no longer recognise anyone as an executive member or leader of the party pending the final determination of the case before the Federal High Court in Abuja.

The ongoing legal dispute is between Mr Mark and Mr Gombe; who claimed that he, rather than Mr Mark, was entitled to lead the party as acting national chairman following the resignation of the previous leadership.

Mr Gombe had approached the court to stop Mr Mark’s group from parading themselves as party leaders and to compel INEC to recognise him instead.

However, INEC said it would not recognise either faction and would not accept communications from any of the groups or monitor any of their meetings, congresses, or conventions organised in the name of the ADC until the case is resolved by the court.

INEC also declined Mr Gombe’s request to take over the party’s leadership, insisting it would remain neutral while the matter is still before the court.

The commission noted that although Mr Mark’s leadership emerged after a party meeting in July 2025 and hia name was uploaded on its portal in September 2025, the Court of Appeal’s ruling requires a return to the status quo before the lawsuit was filed in September 2025.

“Since the names of the current National Working Committee members led by Senator David Mark were uploaded on 9th September, 2025 by INEC (7 days after the suit was instituted),  the names would be removed from the INEC portal pursuant to the order of the Court of Appeal to maintain the status quo ante bellum until the matter is decided by the trial court,” the commission argued in a statement on Wednesday. 

The fight over the party’s leadership began in July 2025, when a new National Working Committee faction led by Mr Mark emerged after the resignation of some executive members of the previous leadership.

However, Mr Gombe, who was the party’s vice-national chairman among the former executives, rejected the arrangement, insisting he did not resign and should have automatically assumed leadership in line with the party’s constitution.

Following the development, he filed a suit at the Federal High Court seeking to stop members of Mr Mark’s group from parading themselves as party leaders and to compel INEC to recognise him instead.

Mr Mark’s camp challenged the case at the Court of Appeal, arguing that the lower court lacked jurisdiction over the matter. But the Appeal Court dismissed Mr Mark’s appeal and upheld the continuation of the case at the Federal High Court.

Reacting to the Appeal Court’s verdict on Wednesday, INEC said it would be obeying the Court of Appeal’s ruling, which dismissed Mr Mark’s appeal challenging the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court and ordered all parties to maintain the status quo to avoid undermining the ongoing case.

It urged all politicians involved to respect judicial processes and avoid actions that could disrupt preparations for the 2027 general elections.

“Accordingly, in order to protect the integrity of the proceedings and the eventual determination of the substantive suit pending before the Federal High Court in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025,” the commission said, adding that parties involved “are hereby directed to maintain the status quo ante bellum and shall refrain from taking any step or doing any act capable of foisting a fait accompli on the court or otherwise rendering nugatory the proceedings before the trial court.”