The Federal High Court in Abuja has restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognising or participating in any congress organised by a disputed caretaker leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
In a judgment delivered by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, the court also barred former Senate President David Mark and other party figures from interfering with the functions and tenure of duly elected state executives, amid an ongoing leadership crisis within the party.
The suit, filed by Norman Obinna and others on behalf of state party officials, challenged the legality of the caretaker leadership’s move to organise congresses, arguing it lacked constitutional authority to do so.
Justice Abdulmalik held that while courts typically avoid internal party disputes, they can intervene where constitutional breaches are alleged, affirming that only elected party organs have the power to conduct congresses.
The court ruled that the appointment of a “congress committee” by the caretaker body was invalid, upholding the tenure of existing state executives and nullifying any parallel processes initiated outside the party’s constitution.
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