The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has updated its official records to reinstate Senator David Mark as the National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress, alongside other key members of the party’s National Working Committee.
The Mark-led faction of the ADC and Nafiu Bala, a former national vice-chairman of the party, have been laying claim to its leadership.
Others re-listed include Dr. Mani Ahmad as National Treasurer, Akibu Dalhatu as National Financial Secretary, and Prof. Oserheimen Osunbor as the party’s National Legal Adviser.
The commission had earlier in April removed their names from its portal in compliance with a Court of Appeal directive, a move that sparked protests from the Mark-led faction and opposition figures.
The development arose from a legal battle over the recognition of Mark as National Chairman and the leadership structure of the ADC.
Also Read: Supreme Court voids INEC order on Mark, ADC
However, on Thursday the Supreme Court directed Mark to return to the federal high court for the hearing and determination of issues arising from the leadership dispute within the ADC.
Delivering a unanimous judgement, a five-member panel of the apex court, headed by Mohammed Garba, faulted the order of the court of appeal which asked parties in the suit to maintain status quo ante bellum.
It held that the directive to maintain the status quo ante bellum could not lawfully continue after the relevant proceedings had been determined, describing its sustenance as unnecessary and legally unsustainable.
The apex court also allowed the appeal filed by the Mark-led faction and ordered that the substantive suit filed by aggrieved chieftain Nafiu Bala Gombe at the Federal High Court should proceed expeditiously on its merits.
The restoration is being celebrated by the Mark-led ADC as a major victory for due process and party stability.
However, while the Supreme Court has cleared the immediate legal obstacle that triggered INEC’s derecognition, the main suit challenging the validity of the leadership remains pending at the Federal High Court.
PUNCH NEWS
