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 within the African Democratic Congress.
The case, marked FHC/ABJ/1819/2025, is before Justice Emeka Nwite.
It was learnt on Wednesday that hearing notices had already been issued to parties in the matter after counsel to the plaintiff, Luka Haruna, applied for an accelerated hearing.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria, the plaintiff’s legal team informed the court in a letter dated May 5 that the interlocutory appeal filed by David Mark had been dismissed by the Supreme Court of Nigeria on April 30.
The lawyers, Robert Emukpoeruo, Lukman Fagbemi and Luka Haruna, urged the court to fix the matter for accelerated hearing in line with the judgment of the Court of Appeal.
“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,” the lawyers stated.
Justice Nwite had earlier adjourned the matter indefinitely on April 14 after Gombe requested that the court await the outcome of proceedings before the Supreme Court.
However, the judge rejected an application by the Mark-led ADC leadership seeking a hearing of all pending motions, including the substantive suit.
Gombe, a former National Deputy Chairman of the ADC, is seeking an order restraining David Mark, the party’s National Secretary, Rauf Aregbesola, and others from presenting themselves as leaders of the party.
The plaintiff joined the ADC, David Mark, Aregbesola, the Independent National Electoral Commission and former National Chairman of the party, Ralph Nwosu, as first to fifth defendants respectively.
Gombe argued that the emergence of David Mark and Aregbesola as leaders of the party violated provisions of the ADC constitution as well as the Electoral Act.