The adopted platform of the national opposition coalition group, African Democratic Congress (ADC), has assembled least 97 lawyers to defend the constitution of its newly formed interim leadership in court.
Three members of the ADC on Monday challenged the appointment of a former Senate Senate President, David Mark and ex-Osun State governor, Rauf Aregbesola as the party’s interim national chairman and national secretary, respectively at the Federal High Court, Abuja.
The plaintiffs – Adeyemi Emmanuel, Ayodeji Victor Tolu, and Haruna Ismaila- had in the suit, argued that the transfer of the party’s leadership to members of the coalition group violated an existing court judgment.
The ADC, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the party’s immediate past national chairman, Ralph Nwosu, Mark, Aregbesola and a former Minister of Sports, Bolaji Abdullahi, who is the interim national publicity secretary, were listed as respondents in the suit
The ADC confirmed the assemblage of the lawyers in a statement issued on Tuesday by its media unit.
The party accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of sponsoring the suit.
The statement read: “The ADC accused the APC of deceiving Nigerians by using the names of non-ADC members to file a suit against the party and its interim leadership.
“The party alleged that the names which the APC used to file their suit were neither in the ADC physical nor digital registers in Kogi or Nasarawa State.
“It smacks of desperation that a party elected in charge of the lives of no fewer than 200 million people can engage in shopping for the names of its citizens in pursuit of Machiavellian politics.
“Meanwhile, the National Legal Support Group for ADC has expressed its readiness to represent the ADC in the courts over the matter filed against the party and its interim officers.
“Making this revelation in Abuja yesterday, the leader of the group, Barrister Mohammed Sheriff, said no fewer than 97 lawyers have indicated their preparedness to stand for the party.”
