*As party assures level playing field for aspirants
About 98 learned eggheads have volunteered to represent the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in a suit at the Federal High Court, Abuja Division, challenging the validity of the appointment of its Interim National Chairman, Senator David Mark, by the party’s former leadership led by Dr. Ralph Nwosu.
The party further assured that the process leading to the emergence of its candidates at all levels will be credible, fair and transparent.
You may recall that three members of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) have approached the Federal High Court in Abuja asking the court to nullify the takeover of the party by an interim leadership led by former Senate President David Mark and former Osun State governor, Rauf Aregbesola.
In suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/1328/2025 filed on July 4, Adeyemi Emmanuel, Ayodeji Victor Tolu and Haruna Ismaila, asked the court to determine the legality of the interim leadership.
The National Legal Support Group for ADC expressed its readiness to represent the ADC in the courts over the matter filed against the party and its interim officers.
A coalition of lawyers led by Barrister Mohammed Sheriff, on Monday in Abuja disclosed that no fewer than 97 Lawyers have indicated their preparedness to stand for the party.
Meanwhile, the interim National Chairman of the party on Monday, accused the ruling party of orchestrating the legal action instituted against the party.
He further assured that the party has no favourite candidate and will ensure that all contestants are treated equally.
He however said that the leadership of the coalition is more interested in stabilizing the party so that it can be more attractive to Nigerians.
“The ADC has no preferred or favorite presidential aspirant but has set out to first put out a platform that would be attractive and acceptable to majority of Nigerians.
“We are doing this because we do not want this great ship called Nigeria to sink because if we do not rise up, and now, they will sink all of us,” he counseled.
Mark, who stated this while addressing the stakeholders of the Kogi State chapter of the ADC at a meeting in Abuja, noted that all the members of the party are “equal stakeholders. Equal joiners, Equal owners.
“I don’t own this party more than any of our members and I urge all members to prepare to show Nigerians that ADC is a different party.
“A different party that is ready to properly run democracy in our country. All Nigerians must come together and take ownership of the ADC,” he added.
He urged members to put their differences aside and work as a team, adding that, “we must bond together to build the party before we can talk of ambitions.”
He charged the members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to stop attacking individuals but concentrate on modifying their policy failures which the ADC had raised.
“If they admitted that insecurity is bad and they promised Nigerians that they would improve on it but have made it worse, would Nigerians continue to support them? The answer is No.
“Let us continue to work to rebuild our nation and bring out her best in the overall interest of the future generations,” he submitted.
The ADC accused the APC of deceiving Nigerians by using the names of non-ADC members to file a suit against the party and its interim leadership.
The party alleged that the names which the APC used to file their suit were neither in the ADC physical nor digital registers in Kogi or Nasarawa State.
“It smacks of desperation that a party elected in charge of the lives of no fewer than 200 million people can engage in shopping for the names of its citizens in pursuit of Machiavellian politics,” the party lamented.
