The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has clarified that the recent ruling of the Court of Appeal of Nigeria in the ongoing leadership dispute within the party does not alter its current leadership structure.
The party therefore urged its members and the public not to be misled by what it described as incorrect interpretations of the judgment circulating in some quarters.
In a statement released on Saturday by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the party clarified that the appellate court dismissed the appeal on procedural grounds and did not make any pronouncement affecting the positions of David Mark as National Chairman and Rauf Aregbesola as National Secretary.
Abdullahi explained that the court did not determine the substantive issues surrounding the leadership dispute currently before the Federal High Court of Nigeria.
According to him, the case challenging the emergence of Mark and Aregbesola in their respective positions remains pending before the Federal High Court and has yet to be heard or decided on its merits.
“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 read.
He added that the appellate court did not grant any relief in favour of the plaintiff in the matter.
“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,” Abdullahi said.
Instead, the court ordered that parties in the dispute should maintain the status quo pending the determination of the substantive suit.
The party maintained that the directive effectively means the current leadership arrangement remains unchanged until the case before the Federal High Court is fully determined.
Abdullahi therefore called on party members to remain calm and avoid being influenced by what he described as misleading interpretations of the court decision targeted at misinformation.
“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,” he stated.
He added that the party remains united and focused on its activities despite what he described as attempts by “anti-democratic forces” to destabilise it.
The ADC leadership also reassured members that it would continue to respect the judicial process while awaiting the hearing and final determination of the substantive suit before the Federal High Court.