The Independent National Electoral Commission has officially recognised former Senate President, David Mark, as the National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress, following a decisive ruling by the Supreme Court that settled the party’s protracted leadership crisis.
Checks on INEC’s official portal on Thursday confirmed that Mark has been reinstated as the party’s national chairman, alongside former Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, as National Secretary.
The development comes weeks after INEC, on April 1, 2026, removed the duo’s names from its website amid the lingering legal tussle over the party’s leadership.
The Supreme Court, in a judgment delivered on Thursday by Justice Mohammed Garba, nullified the “status quo ante bellum” order earlier issued in the dispute, effectively restoring Mark and Aregbesola to their positions.
The apex court held that such preservative orders cannot remain in force once the substantive issues in a case have been conclusively determined.
“The exercise of preservative powers is contingent on the existence of a live dispute. Where proceedings have ended, such orders lose their legal foundation,” the court ruled.
The legal battle had stemmed from a suit seeking to restrain INEC from recognising Mark and Aregbesola as national officers of the party, while also asking the court to bar them from functioning in those capacities pending the determination of the case.
However, the Supreme Court found that the trial court neither granted nor refused the interlocutory injunctions sought but merely issued procedural directives, including an order for parties to maintain the status quo.
Justice Garba emphasised that such orders are temporary in nature and cannot outlive the proceedings they were meant to preserve.
The court further declared the appeal against the lower court’s directive incompetent, noting that it was filed without the required leave, a condition it described as fundamental to the validity of any appeal.
It clarified that the provisions of Section 241(1)(f)(ii) of the 1999 Constitution did not apply in the circumstance since no formal order granting or refusing an injunction had been made.
Consequently, the apex court set aside the status quo order, describing its continued enforcement as an unwarranted extension of judicial authority.
Legal analysts say the judgment has finally laid to rest the leadership crisis that had polarised the ADC, while also reinforcing the limits of interim court orders in political disputes.
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