Abuja Court Freezes ADC Leadership Changes Until April 23

By Our Reporter

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has directed all parties involved in a suit challenging the leadership structure of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) to maintain the status quo until the case is fully determined.

The directive was given by Justice J.O Abdulmalik after counsel to the 6th defendant requested an adjournment to allow time to respond to the plaintiffs’ filings.
The court further ruled that all pending applications would be taken together with the substantive suit, emphasizing that the case relies on affidavit evidence.
Justice Abdulmalik also instructed all parties to file the necessary documents before the next hearing date and cautioned them against taking any steps that could influence the outcome of the matter.
Additionally, the court ordered that hearing notices be served on the 1st to 5th defendants.
The matter was subsequently adjourned to April 23, 2026, for definite hearing.
The plaintiffs, comprising state chairmen and executive members of the ADC, are contesting the legality of the party’s caretaker or interim national working committee.
They are asking the court to decide whether the tenure of the current state executive committees is still valid and whether the caretaker committee has the authority to conduct state congresses.
The plaintiffs are also seeking orders to nullify any congresses conducted by the interim committee and to restrain the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognizing such actions.