BY TAIBAT UMMI YAKUBU

Former Osun State Governor and National Secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Rauf Aregbesola, has formally asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to alter its official records of the party's leadership pending the determination of his appeal against a recent Federal High Court judgment.

Aregbesola made the request in a letter dated November 9, 2026, addressed to INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, through his lawyer, Mohammed Sheriff, SAN.

The move comes days after Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja delivered a judgment on November 5, which nullified Aregbesola's assumption of office as National Secretary under the leadership of former Senate President David Mark.

In the letter, Aregbesola informed INEC that he had challenged the judgment at the appellate court and also filed a motion seeking a stay of execution to prevent the enforcement of the court's decision while his appeal remains pending.

Both the notice of appeal and the application for a stay of execution were reportedly filed on November 7.

He urged the electoral commission to maintain the existing records of the ADC leadership until the court determines his application, warning against administrative decisions that could undermine the reliefs he is seeking.

"We ask that the commission defer any discretionary changes that could prejudice the relief sought in the pending application," the lawyer stated.

To strengthen his client's position, Sheriff drew INEC's attention to an earlier Federal High Court judgment delivered on July 2, 2026, by Justice Musa Liman in a separate case involving lawmaker Leke Abejide and the ADC.

According to the lawyer, that judgment expressly recognised David Mark as the party's National Chairman and Aregbesola as its National Secretary.

He argued that the court had also upheld the legality of the leadership transition carried out by former ADC National Chairman, Ralph Nwosu, who handed over the party's leadership to Mark and Aregbesola.

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The earlier judgment, in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1637/2025, reportedly declared that Nwosu acted within his lawful authority in transferring the party's leadership and that both men were duly appointed to their respective positions.

Sheriff further maintained that INEC, which was listed as the fifth defendant in the case, was entitled to recognise the two politicians in those capacities.

He added that, to the best of his knowledge, no appeal had been filed against the July 2 judgment.

The lawyer argued that INEC now had two judgments from the same Federal High Court division addressing its recognition of the ADC leadership, making it necessary for the commission to carefully examine both decisions alongside the pending legal processes.

He therefore asked INEC to formally place the certified true copy of the July judgment in its official records and urgently refer both judgments, together with the newly filed court documents, to its Legal Services Department for consideration.

Aregbesola also requested that the commission preserve all existing documents relating to its recognition of the ADC leadership, including official correspondence, published records and any previous changes made to the party's leadership details.

While acknowledging the November 5 judgment, the lawyer insisted that INEC should avoid discretionary administrative changes capable of affecting his client's pending application for a stay of execution, subject to the subsisting court orders.

The letter also requested written confirmation that the commission had received the documents and forwarded them to the appropriate officials responsible for maintaining records of political party leadership.

The latest development adds another twist to the leadership dispute rocking the ADC, with the Mark-led faction facing fresh legal uncertainty as rival interpretations of court decisions and competing claims over the party's leadership continue to generate controversy ahead of the 2027 general elections.