The African Democratic Congress (ADC) on Saturday said the recent ruling of the Court of Appeal in the ongoing leadership dispute within the party does not affect its current leadership, urging members and the public to disregard what it described as misleading interpretations of the judgment.
In a statement by its national publicity secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the party said the clarification became necessary following reports on the decision of the Court of Appeal in an appeal filed by the National Chairman of the ADC, Senator David Mark.
The appeal is linked to an ongoing suit at the Federal High Court challenging the leadership of the party, reports The Nation.
Abdullahi said the party had carefully reviewed the judgment and concluded that the appellate court did not rule on the core issues surrounding the dispute.
“Having carefully studied the judgment, we wish to state unequivocally that the Court of Appeal did not determine the substantive dispute regarding the leadership of the ADC,” the statement said.
According to the party, the ruling was procedural and did not affect the legitimacy or tenure of the present national leadership.
“The case challenging the emergence of Senator David Mark as National Chairman and Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola as National Secretary is still pending before the Federal High Court and has not yet been heard or decided on its merits.
“Importantly, the Court of Appeal did not grant any relief in favour of the plaintiff, nor did it issue any order affecting the leadership structure of the party.
“On the contrary, the court ordered that parties should maintain the status quo, meaning that the current state of affairs within the party should remain unchanged pending the determination of the substantive suit,” Abdullahi stated.
The party advised its members not to be alarmed by reports suggesting otherwise, stating, “Members of the party are therefore advised not to panic or be misled by misinterpretations of the judgment.
“The ruling of the Court of Appeal is purely procedural and does not affect the legitimacy or tenure of the current national leadership of the party”.
The party assured that it remains focused on its activities.
