Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has updated its official records to reflect David Mark as the national chairman of the African Democratic Congress, signalling a major shift in the party’s protracted leadership dispute.
The update, which became visible on the commission’s online portal, effectively restores Mark’s camp to formal recognition after months of uncertainty over the party’s leadership structure.
The restoration reflects the judgment given on Thursday by the Supreme Court of Nigeria (SCN), which set aside earlier orders that had complicated the crisis and returned the matter to the Federal High Court for further proceedings.
Five-member panel of the Supreme Court of Nigeria on Thursday voided the ‘status quo ante bellum’ order imposed on the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
The decision, delivered unanimously, set aside the earlier ruling of the Court of Appeal which had directed all parties in the leadership dispute to revert to their previous positions pending the determination of the case.
A three-member panel of the Court of Appeal had dismissed an appeal filed by Mark, in which he challenged the jurisdiction of Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Abuja, to hear a suit brought by Nafiu Gombe over the party’s leadership.