The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has mobilized a 97-member legal team to counter what it calls a fraudulent lawsuit targeting its interim leadership, accusing the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of being behind the plot.
In a strongly worded statement released on Tuesday, the ADC said the legal case was filed by individuals who are not even registered members of the party, describing the move as a deliberate attempt to destabilise the ADC’s growing national coalition.
The party’s legal team, led by Barrister Mohammed Sheriff, dismissed the lawsuit as political sabotage.
“The supposed plaintiffs are not registered with the ADC in either Kogi or Nasarawa. This entire case is a fabrication designed to distract and delegitimize our new leadership,” the party stated.
This development comes days after Senator David Mark, the ADC's interim national chairman and former Senate President, held a strategic meeting in Abuja with stakeholders from the party’s Kogi chapter. During the meeting, Mark reaffirmed his commitment to inclusive and transparent leadership.
“I don’t own this party more than any other member… All Nigerians must come together and take ownership of the ADC,” Mark said.
He urged for unity across party lines, emphasising the party’s mission to restore public trust and build a credible political alternative for Nigerians.
The ADC also used the opportunity to criticise the APC, accusing the ruling party of focusing on Machiavellian tacticsrather than addressing Nigeria’s growing security and economic challenges.
“If they admitted that insecurity was bad and promised to improve it, but instead made it worse, should Nigerians continue to support them? The answer is no,” Senator Mark added.
According to Barrister Sheriff, the scale of legal support the ADC has received reflects the gravity of the political attack it is facing.
“We are fully prepared to defend the ADC and its leaders against this politically motivated attack,” he said.
The party insists that the lawsuit filed against Senator Mark and former Interior Minister Rauf Aregbesola is not only legally questionable but also morally bankrupt. It warned that all attempts to derail the ADC’s momentum through the opposition coalition would ultimately fail.
Senator Mark concluded with a message of hope and solidarity:
“Let us work together to rebuild this nation for future generations.”