A fresh crisis has erupted within the African Democratic Congress as state chairmen across the 36 states and the FCT have taken the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) to court over the conduct of upcoming primary elections.
ENigeria Newspaper gathered that the legal action, filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja, challenges the authority of the NWC, led by Senator David Mark, to set up committees for the April primaries, which the plaintiffs describe as a violation of the party’s constitution.
In the originating summons dated March 18, the plaintiffs are asking the court to determine whether the interim working structures created by the NWC have the legal standing to organise state primaries.
They also want the court to interpret provisions of the 1999 Constitution, the ADC constitution, and a mediation report of December 23, 2023, to clarify whether the tenure of elected state executive committees remains valid pending fresh congresses.
The state chairmen further contend that the power to organise party congresses rests solely with state executive committees under the party’s constitution. They are, therefore, seeking an order of perpetual injunction restraining the NWC and its agents from conducting the primaries until the court delivers a final judgment.
In addition, the plaintiffs are asking the court to declare that any committee set up by what they described as a “Caretaker/Interim National Working Committee” to conduct congresses is unconstitutional and void.
Don Norma Obinna and six other people filed the lawsuit on behalf of the state chairmen, naming the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the party, and its leadership as defendants. The plaintiffs are also asking for an order that forbids the defendants from interfering with the state executive committees’ tenure, duties, and activities.
The court has not set a date for the case’s hearing as of the time this story was filed.
