African Democratic Congress (ADC) hope of holding its congresses ahead of the 2027 general election is hanging in the balance.

A High Court sitting in Yola, Adamawa State, and presided over by Justice Ahmed Isa, has granted an order restraining ADC from conducting its congresses in the state.

The order followed a suit filed by the state chairman of the party, Shehu Yohanna, alongside three other applicants.

They are challenging the conduct of the congresses and named the chairman of the congress committee, Ishaya Bauka, three others, and the ADC as defendants in the case.

The court directed all parties to maintain the status quo pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.

However, despite the court order, the congress committee insisted that all activities leading to the party’s national convention were ongoing.

The committee said it was not aware of a legal action stopping the congress.

Through his counsel, Joshua Onoja, the chairman, Shehu Yohanna, is asking the State High Court in Yola to intervene, citing what he describes as a breach of party guidelines and a lack of fairness in the process.

Following the application, the court granted an interim order directing all parties to maintain the status quo, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.

The case has been adjourned to 15 th April 2026.

But in a swift reaction, the ADC congress committee said the party was unaware of any court order halting its activities.

He maintained that all processes leading to the party’s national convention remain on course.

The party, housing a coalition of opposition leaders, is currently battling a leadership crisis that has left it without a national working committee recognized by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Last week, INEC said it would cease to accept correspondence from either the David Mark-led ADC faction or that of Nafiu Bala, following a review of the Court of Appeal judgment on March 12 this year.

A statement signed by the Chairman, Information and Voter Education, Mohammed Kudu, also noted that the commission will no longer engage with either faction, nor monitor any meetings, congresses, or conventions of the two groups until the matter at the Federal High Court is decided.

The commission further announced that it would remove the name of David Mark from the INEC portal.

Bala, who was the vice chairman of the ADC before the David Mark-led caretaker committee assumed control of the party, approached the courts to challenge the emergence of David Mark and his colleagues at the National Working Committee.

Both factions also staged a demonstration, claiming leadership of the party, ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Leke Abejide and some members of the ADC wants INEC to recognise Nafiu as the party chairman.

On Thursday, the Mark-led group approached a Federal High Court in Abuja, asking it to compel INEC to reverse changes made to the party’s leadership records on its portal.

The David Mark-led ADC staged a protest on April 8, 2026.

In a motion on notice filed before Justice Emeka Nwite, it sought an order of mandatory injunction setting aside INEC’s decision to remove its National Working Committee members from the commission’s records, as well as its refusal to monitor the party’s congresses and convention.

The applicants also urged the court to direct INEC to immediately restore and maintain the names of all members of the ADC’s NWC on its portal, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.