Nigeria: Rivers, Lagos, Other ADC State Chapters Deny Fresh Suit Against Mark Leadership

23 March 2026
Daily Trust (Abuja)
By Baba Martins

The Rivers, Lagos and other state chapters of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) have affirmed their support for the party's National Working Committee, NWC under the leadership of Senator David Mark.

Other state chapters that also distanced themselves from the suit includes that of Imo and Zamfara States. All the chapters denied involvement in a suit recently filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja, describing the legal action as unauthorised.

ADC chairmen from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) reportedly filed the suit against the party's National Working Committee (NWC) challenging Mark's leadership and alleging constitutional breaches regarding the appointment of committees for the April 2026 primaries.

The plaintiffs are seeking an injunction to halt the primaries, with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) joined in the suit.

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Meanwhile, the aforementioned state chapters have distance themselves from litigation.

In separate statements issued on Sunday, the Rivers, Imo, Lagos, and Zamfara chapters clarified that they were not consulted and did not approve the legal action, maintaining that the suit reflects the position of only a few individuals rather than the party structure.

James Okoroma, Imo state chairman stated that neither the state executive nor its leadership is a party to the case. Okoroma warned against litigation that could create confusion and reaffirmed his chapter's loyalty to the national leadership and internal dispute resolution mechanisms.

Leader Samson, Rivers state chairman, emphasized his chapter's commitment to internal democracy, the rule of law, and party unity and cautioned members against presenting personal grievances as official party positions.

Kabiru Garba Gusau, Zamfara state chairman, aligned with the Rivers and Imo chapters, stating the suit does not represent the true position of his state branch.

Similarly, George Ashiru, Lagos state chairman, backed the Mark-led leadership and insisted the state chapter should not be associated with the High Court suit against the NWC.

"While we respect the right of individuals to seek judicial interpretation, we emphasise that such actions must not be misrepresented as collective decisions," Ashiru said.

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